Criminal Justice Case Briefs : Significant Cases in Juvenile Justice

This text is one of a series of three books, each of which provides a summary and analysis of leading cases in a particular area of criminal justice.

There are three books in the series: one dealing with criminal procedure law; one on corrections law; and one covering juvenile law.

Craig Hemmens is the lead author on all three books, working with a different set of coauthors on each book, all of whom are experts in their respective areas.

The basic outline and format of each book is identical. "Criminal Justice Case Briefs: Significant Cases in Juvenile Justice" is comprehensive in its treatment of juvenile law, covering all of the major cases in the area.

It features: a list of cases, in alphabetical order and grouped by topic; briefs of each case, arranged by topic; a short introduction to each topic, intended to put the cases into context and provide some unity; and an index.

The books in this series are neither in textbook nor casebook format.

The purely casebook approach is not always appropriate for undergraduates, whose primary focus is learning the law, not "how to think like a lawyer."Thus, the book does not present the actual opinions, but instead presents briefs (or summaries) of the opinions, along with analysis and explanation.

This allows the instructor to use the book to either supplement what is provided in a textbook, or as a stand-alone text.

Nor is this just another textbook - there is less background and extraneous material provided.

The cases are presented in a context, with relevant commentary, which allows students to better understand the significance of the legal holdings, explains the Court's holdings, and places each case in context with the Court's other decisions.

A major focus of this series is that the three books are easy to read and use - and intended primarily for undergraduates.

As such, the books emphasize clarity and concision in the presentation of the material.