With the intent to ground students in the important issues that continue to evolve from the tension between the struggle for justice and the need for safety, the ninth edition of Criminal Justice Today focuses directly on the crime picture in America and on the three traditional elements of the criminal justice system: police, courts, and corrections. This edition has been enhanced by additional Freedom or Safety boxes. It asks students to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the American justice system as it struggles to adapt to an increasingly multicultural society and to a society in which the rights of a few can threaten the safety of many. The tension between individual rights and public order is the theme around which all editions of this textbook have been built. This textbook guides criminal justice students in the struggle to find a satisfying balance between freedom and security. In reference to the three central components: police, courts, and corrections, the history, activities, and the legal environment surrounding the police are discussed in part 2 of the textbook. Part 3 describes the courts, and part 4 deals with prisons, probation, and parole. Part 5 provides a guide to the future of the justice system and describes how the threat of terrorism has impacted enforcement agencies. The textbook begins with part 1, an overview of that grand ideal, justice, and considers how the justice ideal relates to the everyday practice of criminal justice in the United States today. The theme of this edition of Criminal Justice Today builds on the highest goal of the American criminal justice system, which is to achieve a just and orderly society in which people are free to pursue personal interests while remaining safe and secure. Tables, figures, exhibits, glossary, and indexes