James Eisenstein

The Contours of Justice provides a framework for describing and understanding criminal courts throughout the United States by depicting the functions of criminal courts in nine middle-sized counties in three states. It integrates concepts from each of the three traditional theoretical approaches to court analysis: the individual, organizational, and environmental approaches. The authors approach the courts as communities composed of judges, prosecutors, and defense attorneys rather than as "legal institutions" applying formal law. They analyze the differences in culture, technology, physical setting, the customary ways of arriving at guilty pleas, as well as other aspects of the courts. The authors also incorporate information about the political and economic characteristics of the communities that the courts serve, along with the basic functions of scheduling cases and assigning personnel to cases. The portraits of the nine courts present the day-to-day activities of judges, prosecutors, and defense attorneys that lead to the decisions about the fates of the defendants brought to the courts. This comparison not only provides a vivid picture of actual court function, but allows an assessment of the process that leads to ideas for reform.

In a break with prior research, this book compares the disposition of 4500 felony defendants' cases in Baltimore, Chicago and Detroit in 1972, examining the role of judge, prosecutors and defense attorneys by relying on observation and the interview process. Descriptions of the factors shaping the outcomes of preliminary hearings, courtroom dispositions, and sentences rely on multivariate analysis of case and defendant variables drawn from court and prosecutor files. It uses the organizational approach to analyze and interpret the results, providing a model widely used and cited for broader studies. Originally published in 1977 by Little, Brown and Company.

"... This book is a response to the enfranchisement of American citizens who...are likely to be taking courses in American government.... Our goal is to provide these students with both the theory and practice of political participation.") The Authors In this third edition, the authors have included new material, case studies, and relevant exercises for each chapter. Originally published by Winthrop Publishers in 1974. James Burkhart is also an author of this volume.