Paradoxes in American Criminal Justice : Exploring Historical and Philosophical Aspects of the Criminal Justice System

Paradoxes in American Criminal Justice: Exploring Historical and Philosophical Aspects of the Criminal Justice System provides students with a collection of readings that explore the current state of crime and punishment of America, as well as the empirical methods by which the successes or failures of the system are evaluated. 

The opening chapter presents students with an overview of the institutional structure and function of the United States and an examination of how the institution of criminal justice works in tandem to form a system of social control. Chapters 2-6 discuss the origins of the criminal justice system and the ways in which it has changed and evolved over time. In Chapters 7-13, students engage with material regarding the nature of crime in America, morality and law, deviance and social control, criminology theory, prison systems and corrections, and more. The final chapter addresses women and the criminal justice system. 

Designed to help students develop critical thinking skills within the discipline, Paradoxes in American Criminal Justice is an ideal resource for introductory criminal justice and criminology courses.

Tracy Tolbert holds a Ph.D. and M.A. in sociology from the University of Southern California. She is a lecturer in criminology and criminal justice at California State University, Long Beach, where she teaches courses in the criminal justice system and society, criminological theory, victimology, crime and inequality, domestic violence and the criminal justice system, and women and the criminal justice system. Dr. Tolbert’s research focuses on exploring the facilitators and barriers affecting the way women report sex crimes related to various forms of predatory criminal behavior and victim/survivor response patterns.