Law and Criminal Justice System – serie

What is the best way to define the police? Why do we have police at all? In modern democracies like the United States and Great Britain, why is most policing done by employees of the state? What is the relationship between police and the law? What makes a good police officer? In addressing these questions, Klockars makes the reader look at the idea of police from a new perspective. First he explains how any definition of police must include the reality of coercive force--the fact that police officers everywhere have the right to "forcibly compel other people to do something." Next he describes the evolution of the police in the United States vis-a-vis the police in Great Britain. After exploring the role of the detective, he highlights the moral conflicts and issues of discretion that police officers face daily. Finally, Klockars examines what makes a good police officer. "An informative introductory resource. . . may prove valuable even to graduate students." --The Social Science Journal

Statistical Applications in Criminal Justice introduces basic statistical concepts in a "cookbook" approach to guide math-scared students to an understanding of the utility and value of statistical analysis. Using examples drawn entirely from law and criminal justice research, the authors provide a user-friendly text for undergraduate and statistically naive graduate students of criminal justice. Vito and Latessa begin with an introduction to simple mathematical notation and proceed into a discussion of the theoretical bases of statistics--with particular attention paid to probability, sampling, and hypothesis testing. Once the student has developed a firm mastery of these basic tools, the authors present some basic statistical techniques commonly used in criminal justice research--t-tests, correlations, simple regression, ANOVA, and measures of association. Sample problems are provided to assist the student step-by-step through the application of these techniques. Uniquely written for criminal justice students, this book would be an appropriate supplement to accompany a longer research methods or statistics text. In addition, professionals who wish to brush up on their skills would find its self-teaching features useful.