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SSC 122 - Emerging Issues in Justice

Books | Periodical Articles | Websites

Books - to find broad information on a topic, or the history of a given topic, try the book collection. This information may not the most up to date, but should give you a good sense of the "big picture." To look up books on a given topic, go to the library catalog:

http://cmars.cwmars.org/search~S38/

Once you're in the library catalog depending on your topic, try keyword searches like:

  • critical thinking
  • sociological jurisprudence
  • criminal justice system
  • united states constitution
  • punishment
  • civil liberties
  • terrorism
  • victims rights
  • restorative justice
  • computer* and crime
  • prison*

Remember, if you do locate a book which contains good information on your topic, see if there are bibliographies in the book, which list other sources like journal articles.

Periodical Indexes/Databases - to find the most current information on a topic, try journal or newspaper articles. In order to locate them, you must use an index. Just like in the back of a book there is an index which tells you what page to look at in the book, there are indexes to journals and newspapers which tell you which issue and page to look at in the journal. These indexes used to be just available in print but are now available online as well. Some online indexes which you should use in your work would be:

  • Expanded Academic ASAP
  • Academic Search Premier
  • LexisNexis
  • PAIS (see a Librarian for help with this FirstSearch database)

These are all available through the library's databases page:

http://www.mwcc.mass.edu/library/login

Just select the appropriate access - either on-campus (from anywhere at MWCC) or off-campus (if you're working from home), then find these online indexes in the alphabetical database listing.

Once in these databases, try keyword searches such as those suggested above for the library catalog. You can also try more specific or precise searching in the periodical databases such as:

  • civil liberties and terrorism
  • freedom and national security
  • technology and criminal justice
  • (computers or technology) and privacy
  • incarceration and urban

Websites - To supplement your investigation, but not to substitute for information you find in journals and books.

Critical Thinking:

Critical Thinking Consortium- http://www.criticalthinking.org/

Critical Thinking on the Web: A Directory of Quality Online Resources - http://www.philosophy.unimelb.edu.au/reason/critical/
A searchable directory on many topics related to critical thinking, including argument mapping, cognitive biases, critical reading, fallacies, and more. From The University of Melbourne.

Sociological Jurisprudence:

Peter McWilliams' book Ain't Nobody's Business If You Do: The Absurdity of Consensual Crimes in Our Free Country

Transcript of "Sex, Drugs and Consenting Adults"

Criminal Justice:

360degrees: Perspectives on the US Criminal Justice System - http://www.360degrees.org/
A collaboration between Picture Projects and National Public Radio (NPR), this site offers a close look at the workings of the U.S. criminal courts system. This "online documentary" offers audio diaries from prisoners, correctional officers, and a judge, plus panoramic photos, transcripts, and more. There are also teaching ideas, a glossary, timeline, annotated links to related resources, and quizzes.

Criminal Justice Links - http://www.criminology.fsu.edu/cjlinks/
This directory pulls together many Internet resources. The category topics have links to information on juveniles, drugs, prisons, police, courts, community corrections, and crime prevention.

Institute for Criminal Justice Studies (ICJS): Web Links - http://www.criminaljusticestudies.com/weblinks/ICJS_Links.htm
This site provides extensive links to criminal justice information for professionals. Categories of information include crime prevention, law enforcement, drugs and crime, government, law, public policy, and research and evaluation. Developed by Southwest Texas State University's Institute for Criminal Justice Studies.

Police Officer's Internet Directory - http://www.officer.com/
Although written for the police professional, this site will be very useful to anyone needing criminal justice information. The criminal justice resource directory links to US federal and constitutional law sites, law libraries, and criminal justice resources by state. Criminal justice
issues by topic include computer laws, hate crimes, terrorism, prison issues, and firearms law. Links to international and foreign criminal justice issues are also provided.

Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics - http://www.albany.edu/sourcebook/
Presents 654 data tables, as PDF files (Adobe Acrobat Reader required), from more than 100 sources. Includes characteristics of the criminal justice system, public attitudes toward crime and criminal justice topics, nature and distribution of known offenses, characteristics and distribution of persons arrested, judicial processing of defendants and persons under correctional supervision. Searchable.

Punishment:

The Execution of Timothy McVeigh - http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2001/okc/
Timothy James McVeigh was executed on June 11, 2001 for the April 19, 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, which killed 168 people and injured 500. This site describes federal rules and precise protocol for "efficient and humane" executions and raises questions about whether executions are a credible deterrent to crimes, are fairly administered, etc. Fron CNN.com.

Civil Liberties:

American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) Freedom Network - http://www.aclu.org/
This site gives a brief overview of the ACLU and presents information on current ACLU activities in the news, Congress, the courts, and the states. They also provide specific information on issues they cover, including: criminal justice; cyber-liberties; death penalty; drug policy; free speech; HIV / AIDS; immigration; lesbian & gay rights; national security; police practices; prisons, privacy; racial equality; religious liberty; reproductive rights; students rights; voting rights; women's rights; and workplace rights. Each issue includes highlights from recent ACLU actions, related legislation facing Congress, ACLU publications, and links to other resources.

The International Civil Liberties Report - http://www.aclu.org/International/International.cfm?ID=11742&c=36
of interest James Ross article pp 131-136

office of foreign asset control - http://www.treas.gov/offices/enforcement/ofac/
Perhaps of interest: Terrorist financing rewards program

Safe and Free in Times of Crisis - http://www.aclu.org/safeandfree/
"This special Web feature...tracks the ACLU's fight to stop the war on terrorism's growing infringement on our civil liberties." Includes fact sheets on the Patriot Act, pamphlets (including an excellent resource on national identification cards), press releases, related news, and more. The "Know Your Rights!" pamphlet is available in several languages.

US Department of Justice - http://www.usdoj.gov/ag/fisaappealdecision.pdf
Us Foreign Intelligence on Surveillance and the Court of Review

US Department of Justice - http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/nordwg.html
Civil Rights Division
Jumping off point for Investigation and prosecution of bias-motivated violence and threats of violence since September 11against Arab-American Muslim-American

Restorative Justice and Victims' Rights:

Crime Victims for a Just Society - http://www.crimevictims.net/
Organization that promotes progressive solutions to the issues of crime and violence.

National Victims' Constitutional Amendment Project - http://www.nvcap.org/
organization supporting the adoption of an amendment to the U.S. Constitution recognizing the fundamental rights of crime victims to be treated with dignity, fairness and respect by the criminal justice system.

Restorative Justice Online - http://www.restorativejustice.org/
a service of the International Centre for Justice and Reconciliation of Prison Fellowship International. The purpose of Restorative Justice Online is to be a credible, non-partisan source of information on restorative justice.

Restorative Justice On-line Notebook - http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij/rest-just/
An on-line resource designed to promote the understanding of restorative justice. The material presented on this site is the product of five regional symposia held on restorative justice between June 1997 and January 1998. This site is intended for all those interested in better understanding the principles and practices of restorative justice and especially for those practitioners who hope to implement restorative justice in their communities.

StopViolence.com - http://www.stopviolence.com/
"StopViolence collects resources about non-repressive responses to a variety of violence, including school shootings, sexual assault, and hate crimes. The underlying belief of StopViolence is that punishment after a crime is not effective crime prevention." Specific topics in this directory include rape, domestic violence, mediation, and restorative justice.

Victim Assistance National Resource Directory - http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ovc/fund/nrd/
This online directory provides state-level contact information for six Federal grants programs that provide assistance to crime victims. The information is available in a "Quick Look" summary page and a detailed listing by state. The entire directory is also available in text or PDF (requires Adobe Acrobat Reader)files. The information presented includes name of grant, purpose, grant administrator name, mailing address, phone and fax numbers, and e-mail address. From the Office for Victims of Crime, U.S. Department of Justice. Updated annually.

Cybercrime:

Center for Democracy and Technology - http://www.cdt.org/
Their "mission is to develop and advocate public policies that advance constitutional civil liberties and democratic values in new computer and communications technologies."

EFF: Electronic Frontier Foundation - http://www.eff.org/
A non-profit civil liberties organization working in the public interest to protect privacy, free expression, and access to online resources and information. Check out their grassroots Blue Ribbon Campaign for online freedom of expression.

EPIC.org: Electronic Privacy Information Center - http://www.epic.org/
Here find relevant links, news, and documentation from EPIC's advocacy in Freedom of Information Act, privacy, and First Amendment litigation. Resources also include documents of issues-related activities, FBI affidavits, news archives, debate resources, and guides to privacy tools. EPIC's Bill-Track follows legislation. An online journal covers issues of privacy and civil liberties in the information age (back issues are available to 1991). Searchable.

Identity Theft: Prevalence and Cost Appear to Be Growing - http://www.gao.gov/docdblite/summary.php?recflag=&accno=A02825&rptno=GAO-02-363
This March 2002 General Accounting Office (GAO) report to Congress contains the available statistical data on the growing crime of identity fraud. It presents data on the cost of identity theft to the financial services industry, to the victims, and to the Federal criminal justice system. The full-text of this 75 page report is available only in PDF.

Incarceration, Prisons and the Death Penalty:

Death Penalty Information Center (DPIC) - http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/
Facts about the death penalty, including executions (upcoming and by year, state, and method used), botched executions, and a list of individuals executed (1976-2002). Full-text reports on a variety of topics relating to capital punishment, including race and the death penalty, politicizing the death penalty, crisis in death penalty representation, law enforcement views, innocence and the death penalty, and cost of capital punishment. Portions of the site are also available in Spanish.

Stanford Prison Experiment: A Simulation Study of the Psychology of Imprisonment - http://www.prisonexp.org/
In 1971, an experiment held at Stanford University looked at the psychology behind prison life. Volunteers were assigned prisoner and guard roles. The results, a disturbing look at human behavior, are described here in words and pictures. The site also offers discussion topics and links to other prison and criminal justice Web sites.

The Sentencing Project - http://www.sentencingproject.org/
This organization is "an independent source of criminal justice policy analysis, data and program information for the public and policy-makers [which has] become a national leader in the development of alternative sentencing programs and in the reform of criminal justice policy." The site includes policy report summaries and publications (full reports may be ordered); briefing/fact sheets (with statistics about prisons and prisoners); events; and current related news articles.

This page is maintained by the MWCC Library.
This page last updated 2/6/03 .