For undergraduate sophomore-level course in Administration of Justice, or junior-level course in American Criminal Courts. Providing readers with a thorough understanding of our justice system, this popular text explains the duties and responsibilities of the law enforcement agencies, courts, and correctional departments from the time of arrest through the sentencing of the criminal offender. Avoiding confusing legalese, it addresses why we have laws and why those laws are broken, the constitutional rights of an accused, and the underlying philosophy of correctional endeavors. The text helps students gain a deeper understanding of our justice system and of the role each member must play to achieve, through teamwork, law and order for all.