In virtually all societies, crime is an ever-present problem. Although families are often envisioned as a 'safe haven,' criminologists and family researchers have found the familial context to be at the core of many forms of crime and violence. Family members often find themselves as victims of crime and violence, often perpetrated by yet another family member. The unique nature of family relationships, such as those between children and parents, sometimes lead to intergenerational patterns of violence within families. Understandably, societies often struggle to address crime and violence within families; as such behaviors are often unreported and even concealed. Even beyond the family, crime and criminal behavior can often directly impact familial relationships, such as with the incarceration of a spouse or parent. This multidisciplinary volume of CPFR will address topics such as: child abuse and neglect, spousal violence, incarceration and parenting, community crime and family well-being, family life and delinquency, intrafamily violence, and policy-related issues pertaining to family violence.

Around the globe, millions of individuals are entangled in justice systems daily. For individual offenders, contact often begins with the police, frequently leading to court involvement, and for offenders found guilty, to correctional supervision or incarceration. But how do these encounters affect the family? How do police and justice entanglements result in tremendous strains upon families economically and socially? Do they endanger family relationships? To better comprehend how involvement at any level of the justice system affects families, this multidisciplinary edited collection focuses on the justice system and the family. Chapters include topics such as how court processes impact family members and their support networks; how prolonged incarceration impacts children and parenting processes and family coping; how intimate relationships are impacted during and after incarceration including marriage, divorce and partner violence; and, whether system involvement leads to unintended consequences among family members such as heightened fear of crime and victimizations and fears of the police. An enlightening insight into the family dynamics surrounding contact with the justice system, Police, Courts, and Incarceration is interesting reading for researchers and students of family, sociology and criminology.