Essentials of Corrections

ESSENTIALS OF CORRECTIONS, Fourth Edition, introduces you to the essential elements of the U.S. corrections system without bogging you down in excessive detail or unnecessary technical jargon. Unbiased and accessible, the text includes coverage of the history of corrections, careers, alternatives to incarceration, probation/parole, race/ethnicity/gender issues in corrections, re-entry into the community, and more. The authors' unparalleled practical approach, reinforced by contemporary examples, not only helps you understand the role corrections plays in our society but also provides you with useful information about professional opportunities in the field.

ESSENTIALS OF CORRECTIONS, Fourth Edition, introduces you to the essential elements of the U.S. corrections system without bogging you down in excessive detail or unnecessary technical jargon. Unbiased and accessible, the text includes coverage of the history of corrections, careers, alternatives to incarceration, probation/parole, race/ethnicity/gender issues in corrections, re-entry into the community, and more. The authors' unparalleled practical approach, reinforced by contemporary examples, not only helps you understand the role corrections plays in our society but also provides you with useful information about professional opportunities in the field.

Dr. G. Larry Mays was a Knoxville, Tennessee, police officer for five years prior to completing his Ph.D. in Political Science at the University of Tennessee in 1979. He has previously taught at Appalachian State and East Tennessee State universities. Dr. Mays has served as a consultant to the Department of Corrections, State Police, Youth Authority, and Association of Counties in New Mexico and to the El Paso, Texas, Police Department. From 1981 to 1990, Dr. Mays was head of the New Mexico State University Department of Criminal Justice. His primary areas of research interest are jails, court organization and administration, and juvenile justice.

L. Thomas Winfree, Jr., received his Ph.D. degree (sociology) from the University of Montana in 1976. Besides his current position as Professor of Criminal Justice at New Mexico State University, he has held academic appointments at the University of New Mexico, East Texas State University (now Texas A and M University, Commerce), and Louisiana State University. Winfree has authored or co-authored over 70 refereed journal articles, 20-plus book chapters, and numerous reports. He is co-author, with Howard Abadinsky, of UNDERSTANDING CRIME, Second Edition (Wadsworth, 2003). Included among Winfree's research interests are youth gangs, police socialization, and contemporary justice system responses to drug and alcohol problems.