Criminal Justice: An Introduction to the Criminal Justice System in England and Wales

Now in its third edition, this book is a popular and comprehensive guide to the criminal justice system. It provides information in an accessible and lively format about the various agencies of the criminal justice system, their legal responsibilities, and the social and political context in which they operate. Criminal Justice outlines important concepts in English criminal law and defines crime and the varied responses to it. It also explores the non-legal factors which affect the operation of the criminal justice agencies and identifies the policy issues involved in the control of crime and the pursuit of justice. Key agencies discussed are the police, probation, prisons, the magistrates' and Crown courts, and the Crown Prosecution Service. The effect of the structure of criminal appeals and the role of the Home Office, and the changing roles of The Criminal Cases Review Commission, the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman, and the Parole Board are all included.