Today's criminal justice system is the product of adjustments and reappraisals of policies and practices of the past. The Past Present, and Future of American Criminal Justice highlights how criminal justice has changed and how it continues to change. It brings together three sections: on police, courts, and corrections. Each section contains a historical case study chapter, a chapter on the contemporary patterns, and a chapter of informed speculations on future trends. Altogether The Past, Present and Future gives an excellent overview the everchanging U.S. criminal justice system.