Constitutional Law for Criminal Justice, 14th Ed.
By Jacqueline R. Kanovitz
Criminal justice professionals often do not receive the training they need to recognize the constitutional principles that apply to their daily work. Constitutional Law for Criminal Justice offers a way to solve this problem by providing a comprehensive, well-organized, and up-to-date analysis of constitutional issues that affect criminal justice professionals. Chapter 1 summarizes the organization and content of the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the Fourteenth Amendment. The next eight chapters cover the constitutional principles that regulate investigatory detentions, traffic stops, arrests, use of force, search and seizure, technologically assisted surveillance, the Wiretap Act, interrogations and confessions, self-incrimination, witness identification procedures, the right to counsel, procedural safeguards during criminal trials, First Amendment issues relevant to law enforcement, capital punishment, and much more. The final chapter covers the constitutional rights of criminal justice professionals in the workplace, their protection under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, and their accountability under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 for violating the constitutional rights of others. Part II contains abstracts of key judicial decisions exemplifying how the doctrines covered in earlier chapters are being applied by the courts. The combination of text and cases creates flexibility in structuring class time.
Constitutional Law for Criminal Justice makes complex concepts accessible to students in all levels of criminal justice education. The chapters begin with an outline and end with a summary. Key Terms and Concepts are defined in the Glossary. Tables, figures, and charts are used to synthesize and simplify information. The result is an incomparably clear, student-friendly textbook that has remained a leader in criminal justice education for more than 45 years.
Online Resources
Many of the materials cited in footnotes are available, free of charge, from the following sources:
Supreme Court
http://www.supremecourt.gov
The Supreme Court’s official website contains an automated docket system of cases now pending before the Court, including the briefs filed in these cases, slip opinions of cases recently decided, and bound volumes of cases decided since 2007.
Findlaw
http://www.findlaw.com/casecode/
This website is a gold mine. It contains all Supreme Court decisions since 1893, all federal statutes, more recent lower federal court decisions, and select state materials, plus additional legal resources, such as the Supreme Court’s current docket, briefs, and transcripts of oral arguments. For cases decided since September 2000, Findlaw offers a choice between the full text or an opinion summary, plus access to other secondary materials. CAVEAT: The website at http://www.findlaw.com/casecode/ cannot be accessed using Internet Explorer. It is necessary to type this address into another search window.
Google Scholar
http://scholar.google.com/
Google Scholar is an excellent resource for in-depth research. Researchers can access the full text of Supreme Court cases by typing in the case name; check the box entitled “articles” and gain access to numerous law review articles; and find references to other online repositories, universities, and websites that contain relevant information. A free Gmail account is needed to use this resource.
American Bar Association
http://www.americanbar.org/publications/preview_home.html
This site contains summaries of the facts and issues presented in cases currently before the Supreme Court, along with the briefs filed in these cases.
Duke University
http://law.duke.edu/lib/researchguides/legal_materials
This site contains most law journals and law review articles in PDF form for back issues, but not for current ones. Some legal reference books are also available.
American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)
https://www.aclu.org/
The American Civil Liberties Union brings litigation and files amicus briefs in cases involving a broad array of constitutional and criminal justice issues. Its website provides information, not found elsewhere, about free speech, arrest, search and seizure, privacy, national security, due process, equal protection, racial justice, and other civil liberties issues currently before the courts.
Historical Documents
http://www.usa.gov/Topics/Reference-Shelf/Documents.shtml
This site contains the full text of the Constitution and other historically significant documents like the Declaration of Independence (1776), Articles of Confederation (1777), Federalist Papers (1787–1788), Bill of Rights (1791), Gettysburg Address (1863), and Emancipation Proclamation (1863).