LibGuides: Criminal Justice: Getting Started

Explore Topics--Encyclopedias

If you are in the beginning process of exploring your topic, reference books like encyclopedias can be a great place to start. Encyclopedia articles will give you an overview of a topic and highlight the important issues related to that topic; this can sometimes help you choose and angle or direction to go with your research. Additionally, encyclopedia articles will have a reference list which provides and excellent jumping off point as you begin your research.

African Americans and Criminal Justice by Delores Jones-Brown (Editor); Beverly D. Frazier (Editor); Marvie Brooks (Editor)
Publication Date: 2014
Does justice exist for Blacks in America? This comprehensive compilation of essays documents the historical and contemporary impact of the law and criminal justice system on people of African ancestry in the United States. * 120 A–Z entries on race and criminal justice and famous or infamous African American crime perpetrators or victims * Contributions from more than 50 distinguished scholars from many criminal justice/criminology academic programs across the country * An index of key persons, events, and legislation
Encyclopedia of Social Problems by Vincent N. Parrillo (Editor)
Publication Date: 2008
Over 600 entries on all of the major theories, approaches, and contemporary issues in social problems.
World Encyclopedia of Police Forces and Correctional Systems
Publication Date: 2006
Describes the national law enforcement and correctional systems of over 200 countries around the world. Providing both statistical and analytical information, the encyclopaedia features scholarly analysis by authorities about law enforcement organisations in a user- friendly, alphabetical order.

Explore Topics--Websites/Databases

The following resources are designed to help you explore a topic. Points of View Reference Center and procon.org are general resources that are designed to look at both sides of "hot topics" while Research Topics from National Institute of Justice and Topics from NCJRS are resources that explore topics specifically related to Criminal Justice.

Points of View Reference Center
Search for current and controversial topics. Useful for developing arguments, writing position papers, and development of critical thinking skills.

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ProCon.org
ProCon is a non-profit organization that researches issues "that are controversial and important, and we present them in a balanced, comprehensive, straightforward, transparent, and primarily pro-con format at no charge."
Research Topics from the National Institute of Justice
The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) is the research, development and evaluation agency of the United States Department of Justice.
Topics from NCHRS
The National Criminal Justice Reference Service (NCJRS) is a federally funded resource offering justice and drug-related information to support research, policy, and program development worldwide.