Timely and topical, Current Legal Issues in Criminal Justice is a collection of in-depth essays on "hot-button" issues. The contributors--recognized scholars who have taught criminal justice and written extensively on legal issues--approach their material from both legal and sociological perspectives in order to give students a more nuanced understanding of each topic. Short, framing introductions preface each article and put the material in context, and critical thinking questions follow each chapter. Written in accessible and jargon-free--but not "dumbed-down"--language, this text investigates such heated topics as juvenile waiver laws, inmate litigation, assisted suicide, drug testing, the death penalty, pornography, hate speech, habeas corpus, civil liability, search-and-seizure law, and confessions and interrogations law.