A THEORETICAL OVERVIEW OUTLINES THE MAJOR EXPLANATIONS OF THE NATURE OF LAW AS RULES, VALUES, COMPETING INTERESTS, POPULAR SENTIMENTS, POWER, AND DISCRETION. JUDICIAL CASES ARE PRESENTED AS PRACTICAL ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE VARIOUS THEORIES OF LAW. PERSPECTIVES OF THE POLICE ARE PRESENTED FROM THE VIEW POINTS OF A CITIZEN, THE POLICE THEMSELVES, AND THE MEDIA. THE USE OF DISCRETION IS EXAMINED AS AN ESSENTIAL ELEMENT OF POLICE PERFORMANCE. THE POLICE ROLE IN INTERACTION WITH URBANIZED SOCIETY IS ALSO EXPLORED. THE EFFECTS OF LAWYERS' TRAINING, SOCIOECONOMIC BACKGROUND, AND CONDITIONED VALUES UPON THEIR PERFORMANCE IN THE LEGAL PROCESS IS CONSIDERED, ALONG WITH THE ROLE OF THE LAWYER IN SOCIAL REFORM. CULTURAL INFLUENCES AFFECTING THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE JURY SYSTEM ARE IDENTIFIED, AND THE JURY IS ANALYZED AS A POLITICAL INSTITUTION. ISSUES ASSOCIATED WITH JURY SELECTION AND DELIBERATION ARE CONSIDERED AS WELL. CORRECTIONS VIEWED AS TREATMENT AND PUNISHMENT IS CRITICALLY EXAMINED, WITH PARTICULAR ATTENTION GIVEN TO BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION REHABILITATION METHODS. THE DEVELOPMENT OF LAW IN INTERACTION WITH LEGAL AND SOCIAL FORCES IS EXAMINED IN A CONCLUDING SECTION. THE TEXT IS DESIGNED FOR COURSE USE AND EACH CHAPTER IS FOLLOWED BY QUESTIONS AND SUGGESTIONS FOR ADDITIONAL READING. AN INDEX IS PROVIDED. (RCB)