We hope you are as excited about this textbook as we were writing it. This is a free academic resource and 
a free textbook that can be printed at low-cost if you prefer paper. Southern Oregon University’s Disability 
Resource has reviewed this textbook for accessibility to all students. 
Introduction to the American Criminal Justice System is an Open Educational Resource (OER) 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_educational_resources that is licensed under the Creative Commons 
(CC 4.0) format https://creativecommons.org with support to complete this project from Open Oregon 
Educational Resources https://openoregon.org. 
This introductory textbook is unique because it was a collaborative effort by all Criminology and Criminal 
Justice professors at Southern Oregon University (SOU) in Ashland, Oregon. This textbook will meet the 
learning objectives outlined through SOU and as a community college transfer course, as well as cover all 
other topics expected to find in an introductory course. This book can be used on a quarter or semester 
system, as well as cover topics that may get left out of some introductory texts such as controversial issues in 
the criminal justice system. Further, we made it as comprehensive as possible to cover core concepts and areas 
in the criminal justice system including theory, policing, courts, corrections, and the juvenile justice system. 
Additionally, we created examples that will help make difficult concepts or ideas more relatable. Every 
section provides an overview of key terms, critical thinking questions for course engagement, assignments, 
and other ancillaries such as multimedia links, images, activity ideas, and more. 
Feel free to ask any questions. Email Shanell Sanchez at sanchezs2@sou.edu with any specific questions 
about the book or any other professor if it is specific to their page. 
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