Understanding Criminal Justice

'This book traverses an impressive array of topics and problems central to law and criminal justice. Its accessibility, contemporary themes and sensitivity to issues of inequality make it a perfect text for students and teachers of sociology, law, criminology, legal studies and other related areas. It is rare to find a book that takes the sociological imagination so successfully into fields that are often viewed as the domain for legal professionals only. The well-chosen examples also make it a valuable resource for scholars with experiences of different justice systems' - Sharyn L Roach Anleu, Flinders University `Smith and Natalier have produced an accessible, wide-ranging and lucid text which sets the major questions of criminal justice within the broad framework of classical and contemporary sociological theory. It represents a significant step forward among teaching texts in the field, synthesising some difficult material without over-simplifying it, and providing a