Justice Blind? Ideals and Realities of American Criminal Justice [Paperback]

Matthew Barnett Robinson (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0130334448 | ISBN-13: 978-0130334442 | Publication Date: March 20, 2001 | Edition: 1st

For courses in Introduction to Criminal Justice and Issues in Criminal Justice. Unlike most other introductions to criminal justice--which cover the traditional topics from the perspective of how "things are supposed to be," this text compares these ideals with the realities of criminal justice today and provides a critical interpretation of the role of race, ethnicity, and gender in criminal justice. Organized around a "planned change" approach, it provides a critical assessment of how well the system achieves its goals.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Any institution that is interested in taking a critical approach to criminal justice issues could benefit from this text... This text can contribute to the development of a student's critical thinking skills." — Gwen Hunnicutt, University of North Carolina at Greensboro

"This text definitely stands out as one of the more Current and critical examinations of our justice system." — Charles A. Brawnier, Heartland Community College

"The comprehensiveness of this critical exposition sets it apart from other critical, treatises. It is-in fact a compendium of the separate issues targeted by individual critics in the critical criminological community in a straightforward, easy to read textbook. . For this reason, it should be essential, reading for not only those audiences earlier identified, but also for general audiences who wish to understand why the criminal justice system behaves as it does." — E.J. Williams, formerly of Fayetteville State University

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Back Cover

Justice Blind? Ideals and Realities of American Criminal Justice probes problems of injustice within our criminal laws, law enforcement agencies, courts, and correctional facilities. Posing important questions, showing different viewpoints, and offering fair solutions, author Matthew B. Robinson gives students a new and thought-provoking critique of the criminal justice system.

Justice Bind? Ideas and Realities of American Criminal Justice is ideally suited for courses such as Introduction to Criminal Justice, CJ Ethics, Issues in CJ, Alternative Approaches to CJ, Introduction to Political Science, Criminology, Social Problems, and other courses where a more factual, honest interpretation of the system is required.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 429 pages
• Publisher: Prentice Hall; 1st edition (March 20, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0130334448
• ISBN-13: 978-0130334442
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,003,272 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a great analysis, January 30, 2002

By 

super guy (new mexico) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Justice Blind? Ideals and Realities of American Criminal Justice (Paperback)

This book was assigned to me by my professor. I did not believe the argument of the book at first when we went through it in class. But as we went through the semester, the argument that was made was built from chapter to chapter. I noticed that I was actually reading the book and that I could understand it well. It is a textbook but it is not like most textbooks. I learned a lot in the class and think that most of the argument in Justice Blind is correct. What I liked most about the book is that it is easy to read even though it has so many details about crime and criminal justice.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Available, May 28, 2001

By 

Dr CCJ (New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Justice Blind? Ideals and Realities of American Criminal Justice (Paperback)

This book is simply superb.

Similar but much better than other great books such as The Politics of Injustice, What's Wrong with the Criminal Justice System, and The Rich Get Richer and the Poor Get Prison. If you like these books, you'll love Robinson's critical criminal justice text.

What sets this book aside from the rest is the author's detailed analysis of virtually every aspect of today's justice system. Robinson concludes that the justice system fails to do justice and reduce crime; he tells why and then goes beyond this and offers concrete suggestions for reform.

This book must have taken a long time to write! I am so glad I read it.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars glad I ordered it, May 31, 2001

By 

John (Oklahoma) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Justice Blind? Ideals and Realities of American Criminal Justice (Paperback)

When I ordered Justice: Crimes, Trials, and Punishments by Dominick Dunne I saw the book, Justice Blind? It sounded interesting (even though it is an academic type book) so I ordered it.

Because I am not a student parts of the book were hard for me to read. Overall though it is still worth the money. The author argues that the criminal justice system is a massive failure. His book provides a ton of evidence and is fair.

I best like the way the author builds his argument from chapter to chapter. And the book is not written from an "expert" approach. He sounds like a normal person using normal language. Anyone who votes should read this book.