Providing readers with a thorough understanding of our justice system, this popular book explains the duties and responsibilities of the law enforcement agencies, courts, and correctional departments from the time of arrest through the sentencing of the criminal offender. Avoiding confusing legalese, it addresses why we have laws and why those laws are broken, the constitutional rights of an accused, and the underlying philosophy of correctional endeavors. The book gives readers a thorough understanding of our justice system and of the role each member must play to achieve, through teamwork, law and order for all. KEY TOPICS Chapter topics cover historical development of law and justice system; search and seizure; the arrest; initial appearance; pretrial proceedings; time and place of trial; the trial; confrontation and assistance of counsel; pretrial motions, hearings, and plea negotiations; the trial: roles of major participants; the jury; trial procedure; instructions and deliberation of the jury; the verdict and appeals; sentencing; collateral proceedings; and victims' rights. For individuals interested in our justice system, particularly those considering a career in the police force or office of corrections.

This edition, like the three previous editions, is dedicated to our colleague, the late Gilbert B. Stuckey. The seventh edition ofProcedures in the Justice Systemcontinues the tradition of providing the reader with a thorough understanding of our justice system from the time of arrest through the sentencing of the criminal offender. Legal rules of procedure are presented in language that is easy to understand. The crime rate continues as one of society's major problems, not only in the United States but also throughout the world. It is the primary responsibility of those directly connected with the justice system, such as members of law enforcement agencies, the courts, and correctional officers, to fight crime. Yet to effectively curb crime, society needs the assistance of every law-abiding person. By studying history, we often see the mistakes of the past and thus can make efforts not to repeat those mistakes in the future. One past mistake was the failure to recognize that the members of the justice system are a team who must work together. Yet, to work as a team, it is necessary for each member to understand his or her own responsibility as well as that of each of the other members. In this seventh edition, the coverage of victims' rights and of the effects of gangs on the crime problem has been expanded. The discussions of constitutional and civil rights of an accused, of the laws of arrest, and of search and seizure have also been expanded. In addition, we have included selected court cases to provide the reader with experience in reading court decisions and to assist the reader in understanding the legal issues involved. Also included in the seventh edition are motions and reports taken from actual trial records and other supplemental material. These are submitted to provide the reader with a better idea of the practical issues involved in trying criminal cases. This book was written for those interested in our justice system, particularly for police and correctional science students. It explains the duties and responsibilities of the law enforcement agencies, courts, and correctional departments, in relation to law violators, from the time of accusation until completion of sentence. Criminal justice students should, however, study more than just judicial procedures. The student should have some knowledge of why we have laws and why those laws are broken, should be cognizant of the constitutional rights of an accused, and should have a better understanding of the philosophy of correctional endeavors. Thus, material on these subjects is incorporated into this text. The information in this text will help the student, as well as others, attain a more thorough knowledge of our justice system and of the role that each member must play to achieve, through teamwork, law and order for all. Special thanks goes out to the following reviewers for their hard work and assistance on this edition; Wojciech Cebulak, Minot State University, Minot, N.D.; Mark Stetler, Montgomery College, Spring, TX; Chris Delay, University of Louisiana, Lafayette, LA. To assist the instructor in presenting the material in this edition, an Instructor's Manual contains objectives, chapter outlines, teaching aids, and examination questions and answers, including true-false, multiple-choice, and fill-in questions. A selection of federal forms and a powerpoint presentation for each chapter will also be included.