Theorizing Criminal Justice

The goal of this book is to encourage thinking about criminal justice. What theories direct the behaviors of the police, the courts, and corrections administrators? Are due process rights the foundation of actions, or is the control of crime an overriding concern? Are criminal justice personnel motivated by the need to diagnose and treat the individual offender, or are classification and management of groups the primary focus? Which goals are paramount: retribution, treatment, safety, social control, efficiency? What value choices guide theories? Does a bureaucratic system ensure impartiality, or is it a self-perpetuating growth industry? What role does politics play in developing theory? Theory explains how we think about an issue and ultimately how we deal with it. Studying reaction to crime reveals the reality constructed by various actors. By presenting eight theoretical orientations, this book encourages the reader to reflect on the very complex nature of criminal justice, to analyze the theories that have informed various practices, and to recognize the intellectual underpinnings of each. The eight perspectives provide the background for the reader to place criminal justice in context with other social controls. The ultimate purpose of the study of existing metaphors for criminal justice is to develop the skills to participate in future theorizing about a vital topic. - Back cover.