PEARSON EDUCATION Criminal Courts: Structure, Process, and Issues

For courses in Criminal Courts, Court Process and Sentencing, and Courts and Sentencing Issues.    Criminal Courts: Structure, Process, and Issues, 2e provides a comprehensive examination of the criminal court system, from the basic pretrial procedures, to the trial process, to the sentencing and appeals. Examining all angles, it begins with a discussion of the law and its origins, compares the federal and state court systems, and examines the key courtroom personnel. Separate chapters on the juvenile justice system and the courts and the media round out the text’s coverage. References to key cases, articles from local newspapers and examples of real courts in action add practicality and a deeper understanding of the structure, process and issues surrounding criminal courts today.   From the Back Cover Concise synopsis of history of American courts, featuring judicial system and key courtroom actors   Up-to-date box materials supplementing text, featuring key issues and relevant themes of different aspects of court procedures   Comprehensive discussion of pretrial procedures, motions, bases for appeals, and alternatives to criminal prosecution, including alternative dispute resolution, pretrial diversion, and restorative justice   Extensive coverage and comparison of state and federal court systems   Comprehensive discussion of juvenile courts, juvenile rights, and the juvenile justice process   Detailed discussion of key courtroom actors, including prosecutors, defense counsels, and judges, and how each are elected or appointed   Comprehensive discussion of plea bargaining, plea bargaining controversies and ethical considerations, and plea bargaining bans in different jurisdictions   Complete discussion of jury system in United States, including jury selection, jury deliberations, and jury issues, including jury nullification, use of jury consultants, and juror misconduct   Complete discussion of the trial process, including opening and closing arguments, examination and cross-examination, and other aspects of presentation of testimony and evidence   Comprehensive discussion of American courts, their interplay with the media, and how the media have changed courtroom procedures   Extensive discussion of key federal and state cases concerning court actions and defendant rights   Discussion of major sentencing systems, including indeterminate, determinate, mandatory, and guidelines-based or presumptive sentencing   Ancillaries include test bank, comprehensive glossary, and bibliography   Questions for review at chapter ends, including listings of key terms About the Author             Dean John Champion is Professor of Criminal Justice, Texas A & M International University; Laredo, Texas. Dr. Champion has taught at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, California State University-Long Beach, and Minot State University.  He earned his Ph.D. from Purdue University and B.S. and M.A. degrees from Brigham Young University.  He also completed several years of law school at the Nashville School of Law.               Dr. Champion has written over 35 texts and/or edited works and maintains memberships in eleven professional organizations.  He is a lifetime member of the American Society of Criminology, Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, and the American Sociological Association.  He is a former editor of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences/Anderson Publishing Company Series on Issues in Crime and Justice and the Journal of Crime and Justice.  He is a contributing author for the Encarta Encyclopedia 2000 for Microsoft.  He has been a Visiting Scholar for the National Center for Juvenile Justice and is a former president of the Midwestern Criminal Justice Association. He has also designed and/or offered numerous online courses for the University of Phoenix, Excelsior University, and the University of Alaska-Fairbanks.               Among his published books for Prentice-Hall include Administration o