The Student Handbook of Criminal Justice and Criminology is a critical introduction and as such considers contemporary issues in criminal justice, focusing on conceptions of crime and conflict resolutions, as well as introducing the reader to researching criminal justice. It discusses crime and criminology in relation to the media, race, Islam, gender and politics, and considers all the relevant theoretical debates that dominate criminology. Chapters on the police, courts, probation and prisons are included, along with more theoretical chapters regarding crime prevention, youth justice, and restorative and informal justice.To help those who teach criminal justice or criminology, seminar topics are suggested at the conclusion of each chapte...