BY BRINGING TOGETHER 23 ARTICLES REPRESENTATIVE OF THE CONCERNS, THEORIES, AND METHODS OF A VARIETY OF DISCIPLINES, THE TEXT DEMONSTRATES THE ADVANTAGES OF A MULTIDISCIPLINARY APPROACH AND PORTRAYS BOTH THE SOCIAL AND LEGAL REALITIES OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE IN THE UNITED STATES. THE NATURE AND EXTENT OF CRIME ARE CONSIDERED IN READINGS ON CONCEPTIONS OF CRIME IN MODERN SOCIETY, PROBLEMS IN MEASURING CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR, HISTORICAL AND CONTEMPORARY EXPLANATIONS OF CRIME, AND CRIME AND INTELLIGENCE. AN EXCERPT FROM A NATIONAL COMMISSION REPORT PROVIDES A GENERAL VIEW OF THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM, INCLUDING A CHART DEPICTING THE MOVEMENT OF CASES THROUGH THE SYSTEM, WHILE AN ARTICLE ON THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE 'NONSYSTEM' SUGGESTS THAT NO SYSTEM EXISTS AS SUCH. OTHER READINGS DEAL WITH THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE PRACTICES OF POLICE (DISCRETION, CONTACTS WITH JUVENILES, ATTITUDES TOWARD THE LAW, CORRUPTION, PROBLEMS), COURTS (DEFENDANTS, SELF-DEFENSE, BAIL SETTING, PROSECUTORIAL DISCRETION, DIVERSION, JUDICIAL FAIRNESS), AND CORRECTIONS (RATE AND DURATION OF IMPRISONMENT, JAILS, PRISONS, EFFECTS OF IMPRISONMENT, MASSACHUSETTS' EXPERIMENTAL CLOSING OF ITS JUVENILE INSTITUTIONS). SUPPORTING DATA AND LISTS OF REFERENCES ACCOMPANY SOME OF THE ARTICLES. FOR ABSTRACTS OF INDIVIDUAL ARTICLES, SEE NCJ-38872 (RATE AND DURATION OF IMPRISONMENT), 42181 (MASSACHUSETTS EXPERIMENT), 53278-53282 (NATURE AND EXTENT OF CRIME), 53283 (CRIMINAL JUSTICE NONSYSTEM), 53284 (DIVERSION), 53285 (JUDICIAL FAIRNESS), AND 53286 (JAILS). (LKM)