Criminal Courts: A Contemporary Perspective 3rd Edition

"This book is very well written, informative, to the point, and discusses the courts from a general perspective…The authors are scholars in the field, and their work has been and will be respected for years to come. The ancillary resources are very helpful, detailed, and in abundance."

"This text is both affordable for students and presents material in an easy to understand format. The boxes on research articles present students with summaries of research on court processing without overwhelming lower-level undergraduates with entire articles to read. The boxes with high profile cases help students apply the concepts covered in a chapter to real-life examples. Finally, the course site has excellent resources for both students and instructors."

"Material covered in a balanced way…Great pedagogical features and illustrations"

"This is a well written, well arranged, and a very informative book. It will definitely be an asset to students taking this course."

Craig Hemmens is a professor in the Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology at Washington State University. He holds a JD from North Carolina Central University School of Law and a PhD in criminal justice from Sam Houston State University. Professor Hemmens has published 20 books and more than 200 articles, many dealing with legal issues in criminal justice. He currently serves as editor of the Criminal Law Bulletin and previously served as the editor of the Journal of Criminal Justice Education and as president of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences. His current research interests include criminal law and procedure.

David C. Brody is a professor in the Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology at Washington State University. He received a JD from the University of Arizona College of Law and a PhD in criminal justice from the State University of New York at Albany. He is the author of casebooks on criminal law and criminal procedure, as well as scholarly articles that have been published in such journals as the American Criminal Law Review, Crime and Delinquency, Justice System Journal, and Judicature. His current research focuses on the selection and evaluation of judges, jury reform, and the interaction between law, politics, and criminal justice policy.

Cassia Spohn is School Director and Foundation Professor of Criminal Justice at Arizona State University. She is the author of several books, including The Color of Justice: Race, Ethnicity, and Crime in America (with Sam Walker and Miriam DeLone) and How Do Judges Decide? The Search for Fairness and Equity in Sentencing. She has published a number of articles examining prosecutors’ charging decisions in sexual assault cases and exploring the effect of race/ethnicity on charging and sentencing decisions. Her current research interests include the effect of race and gender on court processing decisions, victim characteristics and case outcomes in sexual assault cases, judicial decision making, sentencing of drug offenders, and the deterrent effect of imprisonment. In 1999, she was awarded the University of Nebraska Outstanding Research and Creative Activity Award.