The Criminal Justice Process: A Practical Introduction

This text offers a comprehensive and holistic overview of the criminal justice process from the commission of an offence to resettlement or community supervision and formal exit from the process. It is designed to give students and researchers a unique insight into the criminal justice system, with a key focus on issues faced by practitioners and the impact these issues have on decision making. This book will: Cover core stages of the criminal justice process: incident report & investigation; arrest and interview; charging and initial appearance; trial and sentencing; community supervision, imprisonment and resettlement; Follow several hypothetical cases to understand the workings of the criminal justice process and engage in decision-making or role-playing exercises at each stage; Critically reflect upon how practitioners undertake their roles and how these are informed by due process and cultural practices at each stage; Analyse the processes, decisions and information flow against criminological and socio-legal literature centred upon core themes of contemporary criminal justice. Each chapter includes a reflective statement from an experienced criminal justice practitioner and questions designed to guide readers to consider its significance and relevance against academic and theoretical literature. This book is essential reading for courses on criminal justice in England and Wales.