New Books and Releases from the ABA Criminal Justice Section

Below is a message, useful to law librarians and others, from the current Chair of the ABA Criminal Justice Section. It includes information about new books and some discussion about publication activities within the Section :

Message from the Chair:

The Criminal Justice Section is comprised of a number of committees charged with the responsibility of addressing a broad array of criminal law topics. While each committee tends to focus on issues related to their special interest, when needed they all work in unison to make clear that we serve as the voice of criminal justice in the nation.

The State of Criminal Justice 2009 is an outstanding example of how our committees collaborate to produce a quality product that informs and provides a valuable service to the public and the entire legal community.

The 2009 edition features authors from across the criminal justice spectrum who provide commentary on a wide range of topics, ranging from white collar crime to international law to juvenile justice. This annual publication examines and reports on the major issues, trends and significant changes in the criminal justice system. As one of the cornerstones of the Section’s work, the publication serves as an invaluable resource for lawyers, policy-makers, academics, and students. The 2009 volume contains 21 chapters focusing on specific criminal justice issues, as well as an appendix containing a full text and reports of all ABA policies adopted in 2008-2009 that address criminal justice issues.

I would like to thank first-time editor Myrna S. Raeder, CJS Director Jack Hanna and Publications Manager Kyo Suh for their tireless efforts to ensure this year’s edition provided the same high-quality writing and in-depth analysis as past volumes.

Other recent Section-published releases include Do No Wrong: Ethics for Prosecutors and Defenders, which is a compilation of columns that address a myriad of ethical issues faced by prosecutors and defense attorneys alike in their everyday practice. Crime, Incorporated: Legal and Financial Implications of Corporate Misconduct addresses how the approach to understanding organizational crime has become more difficult because of the increased multi-organizational character of corporate crime, and provides a complete re-examination of traditional legal rules and their application in light of changes in corporate crime over the past decade.

Our Book Board committee, chaired by Andrew Taslitz, should be commended for the outstanding job it does to ensure that we continually issue publications that address the latest cutting-edge topics in the field of criminal law.

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