Michael King is now an Emeritus Professor of the Law School, University of Reading. In this, his first book, he brings together his experiences while acting as a solicitor in magistrates' courts around London and the West Midlands in the 1970s with his study of social theory undertaken for a Master's dissertation at Warwick University. Since its publication, he has written many books and articles mainly about children and society's efforts to protect them from harm and promote their welfare. In recent years his academic work has concentrated on expounding, applying and translating the works of the acclaimed social theorist, Niklas Luhmann.

"In the four decades since this book appeared, few scholars have written about the criminal justice system in such a succinct yet insightful way. In the same period, the criminal justice system has generated many more controversies and we have witnessed deepened divisions of opinion regarding the system’s means, impacts and objectives. Michael King’s book offers a set of theoretical lenses still useful for teasing out and challenging our thinking about what is wrong now, and what might be done to change things for the better."Andrew Goldsmith, Matthew Flinders Distinguished Emeritus Professor of Criminology, Flinders University, and Visiting Fellow, School of Regulation and Global Governance, Australian National University.

• New Preface for Reissue. Acknowledgements. 1. Understanding the Criminal Justice Process 2. Theoretical Approaches to Criminal Justice 3. The Formal Process 4. Scenes in the Criminal Justice Process 5. Making Sense of the System 6. Getting the System Right: The Process of Law Reform 7. Bibliography. Index.

Michael King is now an Emeritus Professor of the Law School, University of Reading. In this, his first book, he brings together his experiences while acting as a solicitor in magistrates' courts around London and the West Midlands in the 1970s with his study of social theory undertaken for a Master's dissertation at Warwick University. Since its publication, he has written many books and articles mainly about children and society's efforts to protect them from harm and promote their welfare. In recent years his academic work has concentrated on expounding, applying and translating the works of the acclaimed social theorist, Niklas Luhmann.

"In the four decades since this book appeared, few scholars have written about the criminal justice system in such a succinct yet insightful way. In the same period, the criminal justice system has generated many more controversies and we have witnessed deepened divisions of opinion regarding the system’s means, impacts and objectives. Michael King’s book offers a set of theoretical lenses still useful for teasing out and challenging our thinking about what is wrong now, and what might be done to change things for the better."Andrew Goldsmith, Matthew Flinders Distinguished Emeritus Professor of Criminology, Flinders University, and Visiting Fellow, School of Regulation and Global Governance, Australian National University.

• New Preface for Reissue. Acknowledgements. 1. Understanding the Criminal Justice Process 2. Theoretical Approaches to Criminal Justice 3. The Formal Process 4. Scenes in the Criminal Justice Process 5. Making Sense of the System 6. Getting the System Right: The Process of Law Reform 7. Bibliography. Index.

Michael King is now an Emeritus Professor of the Law School, University of Reading. In this, his first book, he brings together his experiences while acting as a solicitor in magistrates' courts around London and the West Midlands in the 1970s with his study of social theory undertaken for a Master's dissertation at Warwick University. Since its publication, he has written many books and articles mainly about children and society's efforts to protect them from harm and promote their welfare. In recent years his academic work has concentrated on expounding, applying and translating the works of the acclaimed social theorist, Niklas Luhmann.

"In the four decades since this book appeared, few scholars have written about the criminal justice system in such a succinct yet insightful way. In the same period, the criminal justice system has generated many more controversies and we have witnessed deepened divisions of opinion regarding the system’s means, impacts and objectives. Michael King’s book offers a set of theoretical lenses still useful for teasing out and challenging our thinking about what is wrong now, and what might be done to change things for the better."Andrew Goldsmith, Matthew Flinders Distinguished Emeritus Professor of Criminology, Flinders University, and Visiting Fellow, School of Regulation and Global Governance, Australian National University.

• New Preface for Reissue. Acknowledgements. 1. Understanding the Criminal Justice Process 2. Theoretical Approaches to Criminal Justice 3. The Formal Process 4. Scenes in the Criminal Justice Process 5. Making Sense of the System 6. Getting the System Right: The Process of Law Reform 7. Bibliography. Index.