The articles selected for this publication reflect a heightened awareness of issues related to victims, career criminals, female offenders, police practices, an overloaded court system, and current dilemmas facing prisons. The crisis in the 1990's is in the criminal justice system itself. Current difficulties within the criminal justice system include the problem of career offenders, the conflict between efficiency and fairness, and a concern about the rise of "new" offender groups. Little consensus exists as to the goals for the criminal justice system. Consequently, agencies often work from conflicting perspectives. The result is a generally ineffective criminal justice system. 72 notes, 9 tables, and 340 references