Criminal justice and the pursuit of decency /

Rutherford's book is unusual in that it does not follow the traditional narrative format found in most treatments of criminal justice. The author here examines the belief systems and values of a group of criminal justice practitioners in Britain to determine their credos in dealing with offenders. Rutherford divides the beliefs of these practitioners into three clusters: the punishment credo; the efficiency credo; and the caring credo. Rutherford's premise is that criminal justice policy and practice are largely shaped by the values and belief systems held by its practitioners and that little is known about the beliefs and sentiments of those most directly associated with enforcing criminal law. In seven chapters, the book covers a wide array of opinions from prison wardens, probation officers, police officers, crown prosecutors, magistrates, Home Office officials, and deputy justice and justice clerks, among others, on both the good and the disturbing state of current affairs in the British criminal justice system. Advanced undergraduate; professional. J. C. Watkins Jr.; University of Alabama