The historical overview covers Israel's legislative history, the legislative and executive branches, and the diverse backgrounds of Israel's immigrant people. Data are provided on various types of crime in Israel, and major sections of this chapter address juvenile delinquency, organized crime, and contributing causes of the crime problem. The chapter on the police deals with organization; operations; investigations, intelligence, and identification; control and prevention of juvenile delinquency; personnel management; and research and development. In considering the criminal code, attention is given to criminal responsibility, modes of punishment, and crimes against persons and property. The discussion of criminal process and procedure covers investigation and arrest, release on bail, the charging instrument, pretrial and trial proceedings, the verdict, sentencing, appeal, and parole and pardon. The chapter on the court system describes the various functions of the prosecution, defense, and the judiciary. Consideration of probation, parole, and aftercare includes discussions of the historical-legal foundations of probation in Israel, the adult probation service, presentence reports, the youth probation service, and early release for adult offenders. The concluding chapter focuses on the prison system and covers profiles of the prisons, along with prison conditions and problems. The appendixes contain laws pertaining to criminal responsibility, offenses against the person, and property offenses. Chapter notes, tables, and 26 bibliographic entries are provided.