This book fills a gap in the field of criminal justice and law and society. Unlike any other available undergraduate text, this book integrates legal cases and empirical research on social science questions confronted by the criminal courts. In other words, it examines how social science impacts criminal law and procedure. The book is organized around the criminal court process beginning with issues related to pretrial proceedings and ending with issues concerning sentencing. Specifically, the book provides an introduction to the history of social science used by the courts and the types of social science admitted as evidence in the courts. The chapters that follow provide seminal legal cases and empirical, social science research on a variety of topics ranging from pretrial publicity and racial profiling to Megan's Law and the death penalty.
Smith introduces students to the "law in action" by demonstrating how social science influences the courts and the courts influence society. Moreover, students are given the opportunity to critically review court opinions and social science studies that test some of the assumptions relied on by the courts in rendering their decisions. Sociology of law, law and society, and criminal justice students will find this book interesting, raise questions about the influence of law on society and whether empirical research helps or hinders grounded judicial decision-making.
The teacher's manual accompanying the book provides a wealth of information about Internet-based resources, student activities, and videos to encourage student discussion and identify relevant current events.
( Neal v . U.S. , No. 94-9088 ) .... Page 4077 the amount of LSD sold by a drug trafficker was determined , under both the federal statute directing minimum sentences and the United States Sentencing Commission's Guidelines Manual ...
Social Science in Law: Cases and Materials
With this kind of output, the important piece of information is the significance of the Pearson (SPSS nomenclature for the Pearson chi-square). The goal is essentially the same as above, except in reverse. Whereas we would use 90%, 95%, ...
Criminal Justice and the Social Sciences
Drawing attention to the fact that convictions today are nearly synonymous with guilty pleas, this contributed volume begins with an overview and history of plea bargaining, with chapters focusing on defendants, defense attorneys and ...
This text is comprehensive, engaging, and authored by nationally recognized experts in the field Craig Hemmens, David C. Brody, and Cassia Spohn.
Criminal Courts in Theory, Research, and Practice: A Reader features high-interest readings that focus on three specific aspects of the court system: organizational pressures, actor decision-making, and outside demands.
For instance, when the bodies were discovered in the OJ Simpson murder case, Simpson was on a plane to Chicago [34]. The prosecution had to establish a timeline that showed that Simpson had enough time to commit the murders then board ...
“Infanticide and Abortion in Nineteenth-Century Britain.” Population Studies 32: 81–93. Ward, Ian. 2014. Sex, Crime and Literature in Victorian England. Oxford: Hart Publishing. Ward, Tony. 1999. “The Sad Subject of Infanticide: Law, ...
This book is the first to focus exclusively on problem solving courts, and as such it presents an overview of the rationale and scientific evidence for such courts as well as individual sections on the key areas in which these courts are ...