Research should be enjoyable - whether it is a college student completing a project for a degree or a professor meeting requirements or expectations associated with his or her position. Learning the basics for conducting research is the first step. This text is a reader-friendly primer which has as its strength the facility to positively and gently ease the reader into the task of conducting research.
Each chapter begins with a vignette, describing a hypothetical situation in which students might find themselves. By chapter's end, students should be equipped with the knowledge on how to address the confusion or problem presented in the appropriate scenario. Another pedagogical tool is the Methodological Link which refers to excerpts from actual criminal justice and criminological research, the full text which is available in a companion text Readings for Research Methods in Criminology and Criminal Justice. Each chapter also ends with Methodological Queries, questions and exercises requiring students to apply what has been learned.

Uses practical examples from criminal justice scenarios to bring complex and involved issues to life
Hypothetical scenarios at the beginning of each chapter
Shows the relevance of research methodology to the practical problems of everyday criminal justice operations in a reader-friendly manner.

Issues in Criminal Justice: A Reader for Critical Thought provides students with scholarly articles that address a variety of challenges within the criminal justice system. The anthology exposes readers to a spectrum of diverse perspectives and is intended to inspire thoughtful consideration and lively debate regarding aspects, concepts, and viewpoints related to criminal justice. The text is organized into six units that address topics often discussed in introductory criminal justice courses. Each unit addresses a major element associated with the criminal justice system and features an introduction, readings, and discussion questions. The units explore the structure and management of the criminal justice system, policing and law enforcement, the judicial system, punishment and corrections, juvenile justice, and victimology. Specific issues include the prison industrial complex, the use of police body cameras, mental health courts, reform and retrenchment in juvenile justice, elder abuse, and more. Designed to foster critical thinking skills, Issues in Criminal Justice is ideal for senior-level capstones or seminars and upper-division or graduate-level courses with focus on contemporary issues in the discipline.

Criminology and Criminal Justice describes and discusses criminology and criminal justice as social foci and as academic disciplines. Its comparative and contrasting nature allows readers to gain a better understanding of both topics as separate entities, but also how they are more intertwined than most might recognize. The book covers the most important aspects of these disciplines, beginning with laying the groundwork of nature and content and ending with a look into the future. At the book's conclusion, the reader should better understand the similarities and differences of the two, as well as recognize their singularly distinctive traits. Discussion questions are included at the end of each chapter to facilitate critical thinking.
M.L. Dantzker is an associate professor of Political Science at Georgia Southern University teaching in the Justice Studies Program. He received his Ph.D. in Administration from the University of Texas-Arlington. Prior to entering academia full-time, Dr. Dantzker was a police officer in Indiana and in Texas. He has researched, consulted, and published in the areas of police stress, police job satisfaction, educational issues, criminal justice statistics, and police chief requirements.
Unique approach to understanding how the disciplines of criminology and criminal justice are related
Discussion questions facilitate critical thinking