Subtitle: Theories, Issues, and Movements
Authors: Loretta Capeheart and Dragan Milovanovic
Subject: Criminology / Sociology
Paper ISBN 0-8135-4038-0
Cloth ISBN 0-8135-4037-2
Pages: 296 pages. 1 graph
Series: Critical Issues in Crime and Society
Publication Date: July, 2007

"This book is a major contribution to the field and sensitizes us to the importance of moving beyond mainstream, narrow conceptions of justice."-Walter S. DeKeseredy, Professor of Criminology, Justice and Policy Studies, University of Ontario Institute of Technology

An eye for an eye, the balance of scales-for centuries, these and other traditional concepts exemplified the public's perception of justice. Today, popular culture, including television shows like Law and Order , informs the public's vision. But do age-old symbols, portrayals in the media, and existing systems truly represent justice in all of its nuanced forms, or do we need to think beyond these notions?

In Social Justice: Theories, Issues, and Movements, Loretta Capeheart and Dragan Milovanovic respond to the need for a comprehensive introduction to this topic. The authors argue that common conceptions of criminal justice-which accept, for the most part, a politically established definition of crime-are too limited. Instead, they show the relevancy of history, political economy, culture, critique, and cross-cultural engagement to the advancement of justice.

Drawing on contemporary issues ranging from globalization to the environment, this essential textbook-ideal for course use-encourages practitioners, reformists, activists, and scholars to question the limits of the law in its present state in order to develop a fairer system at the local, national, and global levels.

Loretta Capeheart is an associate professor of justice studies at Northeastern Illinois University. Dragan Milovanovic is a professor of justice studies at Northeastern Illinois University and the author, coauthor, and editor of more than a dozen books.