Chapter 1 discusses law and the legal system and the two basic roles of law in society: provision of guidelines for settling disputes and selection of priorities among such competing values as liberty, equality, effectiveness, and social order. The next four chapters examine police, judges, lawyers, and the public (litigants, witnesses, jury members, the media, scientists, and interest groups) as participants in the courtroom. These legal participants are discussed in terms of their personal characteristics, their effectiveness in fulfilling various roles, their decisionmaking processes and ethics, and public relations. The extent to which these varying participants promote or impinge upon various values also is considered. The final three chapters examine legal policy. Chapter 6 examines the procedures and substance of civil law, including property law, contracts, torts, and human relations law. Chapter 7 examines criminal justice and includes sections on the nature and causes of crime, criminal justice, and penal justice. Chapter 8 analyzes constitutional law, and includes discussions of the notion of judicial review, the substance of U.S. Supreme Court decisions, and the impact of the courts. Each chapter begins with a preview outlining the major topics to be discussed and ends with an assessment evaluating the material presented, questions for discussion, and recommended readings. An index and over 600 references are provided. (Author abstract modified)