Salem Press

		Highly recommended for public, school, and college libraries.

Booklist - American Library Association - Booklist is ALA's official review source for current materials worthy of consideration for purchase by small and medium-sized public and school libraries. The full text of Booklist's starred review of Criminal Justice is reproduced below.

Booklist January 2006

Criminal Justice. 3v. Ed. By Phillis B. Gerstenfeld. 2005. 1,104 p. illus. indexes. Salem, $364 (1-58765-218-8). 345.75.

This new reference set is designed for lay readers and students from middle-school level and up. The content, format, and layout are excellent for this audience. Each of the 625 alphabetically arranged articles begins with a definition of the subject and quick summaries of the criminal justice issues involved and the subject's significance. Articles cover crimes, defendants' rights, Supreme Court cases, constitutional law issues, law enforcement agencies and policing, federal and state court systems, trial procedures, and the corrections system. Photographs, graphs, and sidebars complement the text and range from the expected (a photo of the bombed Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, a chart showing trends in delinquency offenses) to the unexpected (a biblical quotation about the sin of extortion, a list of actors who played Al Capone). Each entry includes suggestions for further reading, consisting predominantly of books and government reports, and a list of related subjects.

The publisher's note anticipates that many uses of this set will stem from readers' exposure to the popular media. Entries on Films and criminal justice, Television courtroom programs, Television crime dramas, and so forth address this head-on, while other entries refer to offenders and victims who have caught the public eye (Laci Peterson in Missing Persons, Brian David Mitchell in Competency to stand trial, Jenna Bush in Equal protection under the law). Evidence and forensics topics are covered in detail. One appendix is devoted to television programs with criminal justice themes. Other appendixes provide a bibliography of basic works on criminal justice, a glossary, crime rates and definitions, relevant Supreme Court rulings, a list of Supreme Court justices with a summary of their notable stances on criminal justice issues, famous American trials (beginning with Roger Williams' trial for blasphemy in 1634 and running the gamut from Aaron Burr to Winona Ryder), a time line, and a list of criminal justice Internet sites. Excellent access to articles and their content is provided through a variety of methods, including a list of topics by category, an index of court cases, a personages index, and a subject index. Highly recommended for public, school, and college libraries.

- Janice Lewis