A critical examination of the different actors in the legal system is included as well as a discussion of the structure of the judicial branch. Criminal justice procedures including due process guarantees, pretrial procedures, jury selection, trial procedure, sentencing, and appeals are also reviewed. The origins and structure of specialty courts are provided, and the third party adjudicatory system is criticized in light of alternative dispute resolution techniques such as mediation, arbitration, and plea bargaining. Review questions are provided for each section and a glossary; reference section; and case, author, and subject indexes are provided.