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Title: Imagining Justice by John P. Crank ISBN: 1-58360-533-9 Publisher: Matthew Bender & Co Pub. Date: 01 September, 2001 Format: Paperback List Price(USD): $44.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 2 (3 reviews)
Rating: 1
Summary: This book doesn't live up to its promises
Comment: As a fellow academic and a social science professional, I agree with the author that the concept of "justice"----what was originally meant by the idea, how it is currently played out in the streets and in the courtrooms of today---is an intriguing one, certainly worthy of dissection in a scholarly book.
Yet, this book simply doesn't deliver what it promises in the opening pages. It truly reminds me of a long term paper one might do in a social science thesis course. After an introduction of various textbook justice perspectives in chapter 1, the author provides an uninteresting, tedious and poorly written overview of the social sciences, and then draws the evolution of criminal justice as a discipline within higher education.
Then, when I am still waiting to read about this concept called "justice," Crank continues (Chapter 4) to review criminal justice theories. At this point I began to believe I have wasted almost $50 on a Criminal Justice 101 textbook when I thought I was getting an advanced book on justice issues.
The author continues with basic qualitative/quantitative methodologies (Chapter 5), another topic for an introductory course. Finally, in chapters 6 and 7, Crank brings up culture and gender and I hope to at last hear some more advanced issues raised. However, based on the shallow treatment of both of these very important areas in the context of justice studies, I wonder if Crank did substantial research in either area? The loose writing style reminds me of a discussion one might have with a student or a friend---not a well-researched, thoughtful essay on critical justice issues in culture and gender.
In chapter 8 the author discusses ethics, which (if you've read any of his previous books on police ethics) is a brief summary of the jist of his stance on police ethics. The author has made a living writing about police ethics, and while he is considered an expert in this area I don't find that the insertion of his ethics thoughts is useful in this book. Truthfully, it looked like the author was reaching for more pages---the ethics material sticks out like a sore thumb, adding nothing to the discussion of "imagining justice."
Overall, I was extremely disappointed in this book and don't recommend it to anyone except as a primer or source of lecture notes for the instructor of a basic criminal justice course. It is a tedious, poorly written text on the field of academic criminal justice (first 5 chapters) and then a loose and ill-conceived, even haughty sermon on how the author thinks others should view culture and gender issues in justice. Crank is not a credible source in either culture or gender issues, and I find it impossible to take his opinions seriously. I would prefer to have some type of reasoned arguments and research instead of unsubstantiated assertions.
In the end, I'd much rather see a published monograph based on substantial, sustained, thoughtful doctoral-level research and insight in this area. There are several political science dissertations that have been devoted to this subject, in the last 10 years, that the author would benefit by reading. The Crank text seems to have been written fast, much too fast. It is an amalgam of lectures, maybe, he has given and random conversations he has had.
Rating: 4
Summary: A Must Read for the future CJS Academic
Comment: I don't out stars gratuitously, 4 out of 5 is very good--a 5 out of 5 may involve the author reading the book to me...
This book dicusses the formation of justice studies and its imergence in academia. It challanges the reader to define 'justice' for themselves while providing contextual background for the concept.
The author makes the case that justice studies include all the hallmarks of 'social science' fused with 'the humanities'.
The changing dynamics of America, a call to recognize the growing role of women in the field and the import of imparting ethics to future practitioners are elaborated upon as well.
This book ties together some points, while stressing others, that I find yet to have been made to date in my academic endeavors.
As close to a 'must-read' for any future academic.
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Summary: Watered down picture of justice
Comment: I just read this book and got very little out of it. The writing style is full of big words from a professor (NOT a cop, which is one of my pet peeves with this author's work). There are many, many other good books on the justice system and the role of police in that system. I wouldn't waste my money on this one.