Introduction to Criminal Justice: A Balanced Approach provides students with engaging, comprehensive, and up-to-date coverage of all aspects of the criminal justice system. Esteemed authors Brian K. Payne, Willard M. Oliver, and Nancy E. Marion explore criminal justice from a student-centered perspective by presenting research-driven material in an accessible, clear, and succinct writing style. Two unique chapters on Perspectives on Crime and Criminal Justice Research and Crime Typologies provide students with the foundational knowledge that they need to be critical thinkers and active participants within their chosen field. Students are encouraged to imagine themselves in specific criminal justice situations and decide how they would respond to the situation with a balanced and effective solution. By exploring criminal justice from a balanced perspective with an issues-oriented approach, students will understand how decision-making is critical to the criminal justice process. In particular, students will come to appreciate how their own future careers will be shaped by the decisions they make.