Criminal Justice and Moral Issues

Richard A. Ball, Pennsylvania State University The writing style is extremely clear and the treatment of topics very balanced, providing an approach that examines the issues fairly and head-on.

CHAPTER 1: MORALITY, HARM, AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE ; Crimes Without Victims? ; The Notion of Harm ; Morality and Criminal Law ; Suicide and Attempted Suicide ; Physician-Assisted Suicide ; Usury ; Bad Samaritans ; Motorcycle Helmets ; Determining Moral Standards ; Conclusion ; CHAPTER 2: PROSTITUTION/SEX WORK ; The Biblical Heritage ; Criminal Law and Prostitution ; Explaining the Law's Intransigence ; Prostitution and Sexual Liberation ; The Cast in the Performance of Prostitution ; Urban Enforcement: Los Angeles ; The BMW Caper ; The Hollywood Madam ; Licensed Brothels: Nevada ; The Wolfenden Report and Kerb Crawling ; Feminism and Prostitution ; Legalizing Prostitution: Yeas and Nays ; Prostitution, Venereal Disease, and AIDS ; Other Impacts of Prostitution ; Prostitutes, Pimps, and the Public ; The Prostitute/Sex Worker ; Customers/Johns ; Pimps ; Impact of Prostitution on Society ; Conclusion ; For Legalizing Prostitution ; Against Decriminalizing Prostitution ; CHAPTER 3: DRUGS ; What Is a Drug? ; Patterns of Drug Use ; Illegal Drug Use: Marijuana ; Illegal Drug Use: Heroin ; Illegal Drug Use: Cocaine ; How Much Do Illegal Drugs Cost? ; The Relationship Between Crime and Drugs ; Drug-Defined Crimes ; Drug-Related Crimes ; Drug-Using Crimes ; Current Drug Policies and How We Got There ; Drugs, Race, and Ethnicity ; The Prohibition Experience ; Modern Legal Prohibitions ; The Netherlands' Approach to Drug Control ; What Kind of a Problem Is 'Drugs'? ; Decriminalization Does Not Solve the Problem of Drugs ; Conclusion ; CHAPTER 4: HOMOSEXUALITY ; Defining Homosexuality ; Homosexual Behavior ; Homosexual Preference or Orientation ; Homosexual Identity or Self-Concept ; Causes of Homosexuality ; The Biological Perspective ; The Learning Perspective ; Public Opinion and Homosexuality ; The Regulation of Homosexuality ; The Social Regulation of Sexuality ; Religious and Legal Regulation of Sexuality ; The Consequences of Legal Regulation ; The Gay Movement and Gay Communities ; Two Additional Issues ; Same-Sex Marriages ; Homosexuality as a Protected Status ; Conclusion ; CHAPTER 5: ABORTION ; Theology and Abortion ; Roman Catholicism ; Judaism ; Abortion Before It Became Legal ; Roe v. Wade and Its Progeny ; Roe v. Wade (1973) ; The Webster Decision (1989) ; The Casey Decision (1992) ; The Partial-Birth Abortion Act (2003) ; Unborn Victims of Violence Act (2004) ; RU-486 (Mifepristone) ; Plan B: The Morning After Pill ; Parental Notification and Abortion ; How Many Abortions Are There? ; Abortion Views in Context ; Arguments: Pro and Con ; Arguments Against Legalized Abortion ; Arguments for Legalized Abortion ; Conclusion ; CHAPTER 6: PORNOGRAPHY ; Definitions ; The Ubiquity of Pornography ; The Pornography Industry ; The Pornography Commissions ; Public Concern Over Pornography ; The Regulation of Pornography ; The Law and Pornography ; The Effects of Pornography ; Harmful Effects ; Positive Effects, or Potentially Beneficial Functions of Pornography ; The Feminist Response to Pornography ; Conclusion ; CHAPTER 7: GAMBLING ; The Context of Gambling ; Casino Gambling ; Slot Machines ; Riverboat Gambling ; Native-American Casinos ; Internet Gambling ; Lotteries ; Gambling on Numbers ; Lotteries Re-emerge ; Off-Track Betting ; Conclusion ; CHAPTER 8: CONCLUSION ; Harm, Risk, and the Law ; Can the Law Create Problems? ; What Should We Call Them? ; The Wolfenden Report ; Are There Limits to Law? ; Immorality ; Privacy ; Alternative Controls ; Harm to Others ; Are They Enforceable? ; What Problems Are Appropriate for Law? ; Conclusion ; Author Index ; Subject Index