Critical Thinking about Criminal Justice: Getting to the Truth of the Matter

Critical thinking has become the mantra of those looking to change the way education and learning occur. Rather than emphasizing the accumulation of facts, which still dominates education today at all levels, critical thinking emphasizes instead the ability to evaluate viewpoints, facts, and behaviors objectively, in order to assess the presentation of information---or methods of argumentation--- to establish the true worth of an act or course of conduct. In essence, critical thinking is about discerning truth. Critical thinking provides the method to determine the truth by helping to separate deceptive use of information and arguments that mask false or misleading statements. This book has been designed for two broad purposes: to convey basic information about the nature of crime and the operation of the criminal justice system, while also giving students tools to assess the arguments made about criminal justice issue by others every day. Whether one’s ultimate goal is to become a criminal justice professional, or simply a more informed citizen, it is crucial that knowledge of criminal justice is more widely known, and that debates about crime and justice are filled with facts, rather than mere rhetoric. Critical thinking exercises, based on actual cases, appear at the end of every chapter in this book. In this way, students get practice in critical thinking by assessing the arguments of others, using a clear framework.