Skip to Main Content

Criminal Justice

The Criminal Justice program provides students with an education based in a liberal arts core and interdisciplinary criminal justice curriculum. The criminal justice aspect focuses on law, law enforcement, and corrections.

Textbooks on Reserve

The RCBC Library has many course textbooks on reserve. These books can be reserved for two hours at a time.

You can view which textbooks are available by subject on this guide:

Textbooks on Reserve at RCBC

New Books!

The Transformative Journey of Higher Education in Prison

This volume follows one man's revolutionary journey from deficient early education to his incarceration on North Carolina's death row, where he was given the opportunity to pursue higher education. By pairing Lyle May's engaging first-person account with current scholarly literature, this book examines the complex relationship between the United States' educational and penal systems. It also documents the role of education in May's contributions to society through writing, teaching, and activism. Flouting the stereotype that people sentenced to long prison terms lack an ability or desire for higher education, May's experience champions individualism as a means of overcoming most environmental challenges to learning, personal growth, and societal involvement. With the right amount of motivation and dedication, even prison walls do not preclude significant contributions to the community or participation in criminal justice reform. Granting access to higher education in places that often lack an academic apparatus, Ohio University's College Program for the Incarcerated provides an avenue for correctional students to enroll in accredited correspondence courses and earn an Associate or Bachelors of Specialized Studies degree. This book's recounting of May's experience with the program augments existing literature on higher education in prison by illustrating the tragic but common pitfall of the school-to-prison pipeline and one man's determination to pursue higher education despite the hindrances inherent in the prison environment. Informing both students and educators about aspects of prison life that are not always considered, this book is a valuable component of a well-rounded corrections course reading list. It is essential for educators and students, criminal justice reformers, criminologists, penologists, or any reader intent on understanding how independent learning is critical to unlocking the rehabilitative and reintegrative potential of higher education in prison.

Introduction to Forensic Science

Introduction to Forensic Science: The Science of Criminalistics is a textbook that takes a unique and holistic approach to forensic science. This book focuses on exploring the underlying scientific concepts as presented at the introductory college and senior high school levels. Chapters introduce readers to each of the important areas of forensic science, grouping chapters together by discipline and following a logical progression and flow between chapters. This systematically allows students to understand the fundamental scientific concepts, recognize their various applications to the law and investigations, and discern how each topic fits broadly within the context of forensic science. The writing is accessible throughout, maintaining students' interest - including both science and non-science majors - while inspiring them to learn more about the field. Concepts are demonstrated with numerous case studies and full-color illustrations that serve to emphasize the important ideas and issues related to a particular topic. This approach underscores scientific understanding, allowing the student to go beyond simple rote learning to develop deeper insights into the field, regardless of their scientific background. This book has been extensively classroom-tested to provide the most comprehensive and up-to-date survey of various forensic disciplines and the current state of the science, policies, and best practices. Key features: Presents a wholly new, fresh approach to addressing a broad survey of techniques and evidentiary analyses in the field of forensic science. All concepts - and the underpinnings of forensic practice - are explained in simple terms, using understandable analogies and illustrations to further clarify concepts. Introduces topics that other introductory texts fail to address, including serology, behavioral science, forensic medicine and anthropology, forensic ecology, palynology, zoology, video analysis, AI/computer forensics, and forensic engineering. Highly illustrated with over 1,000 full-color photographs, drawings, and diagrams to further highlight key concepts. Suitable for both high school senior-level instruction and two- and four-year university courses for majors, non-majors, and criminal justice students enrolled in introductory forensic science classes. Support Materials - including an Instructor's Manual with test bank and chapter PowerPoint lecture slides - are available to professors with qualified course adoption.

Physical Security Assessment Handbook

Physical Security Assessment Handbook: An Insider's Guide to Securing a Business, Second Edition has been fully updated to help you identify threats to your organization and be able to mitigate such threats. The techniques in this comprehensive book outline a step-by-step approach to: Identify threats to your assets Assess physical security vulnerabilities Design systems and processes that mitigate the threats Set a budget for your project and present it to company managers Acquire the products through competitive bidding Implement the recommended solutions Each chapter walks you through a step in the assessment process, providing valuable insight and guidance. There are illustrations and checklists that help simplify the process and ensure that the right course is taken to secure your company. This book provides seasoned advice on the competitive bidding process as well as legal issues involved in facility security. After reading it, you will know how to assess your security needs, specify the right products, and oversee and manage the project and installation. It concludes with project implementation, and the necessary follow-up after installation, to verify the proper use of the new security solutions. Physical Security Assessment Handbook, Second Edition provides a structure for best practices in both specifying system components as well as managing the acquisition and implementation process. It represents the culmination of the author's 44 years of experience in the design, installation, and project management of security system solutions. This is a valuable resource for security managers, security consultants, and even experienced industry professionals to best approach and organize security assessment projects.

Real Criminology

Real Criminology offers:-The most thought-provoking pedagogy, such as "Challenging Your Assumptions" and data-analysis activities-Real-world cases and connections, straight from the headlines -Unique coverage of cybercrime and global crime networks-A seamless digital package, incorporating videos and assessmentsThis comprehensive resource for the Introduction to Criminology Course shows students how to think logically and critically about real, contemporary cases and issues in criminology, engaging each student in a dynamic process of discovery. Real Criminology draws on the latest literature from a range of fields to analyze and explain crime. Through this interdisciplinary lens, the textbook introduces students to criminology; types of crime; impacts of crime; theories explaining crime, criminality, and victimization; studies on crime, offenders, victims, and witnesses of crime; and the nature and extent of crime in the United States and abroad. In a reflowable enhanced ebook that works with your LMS, each section is a self-contained unit of pedagogy integrating text, media, and assessment, all corresponding to learning objectives. The text incorporates not only videos and assessments but references to popular films, TV shows, fiction books, music, and games, as well as discussions of well-known national and international crimes, drawing readers' attention to how crimes and criminal behavior are depicted in the media.

Police Leadership and Administration

This innovative text adapts the strategic management process to the police organizational environment, illustrating how to tailor responses to the unique problems and issues that professionals are likely to face in the field of law enforcement. The authors cover pioneering management techniques for leaders facing the challenges of today's complex environment, offering police executives guidance on planning, setting direction, developing strategy, assessing internal and external environments, creating learning organizations, and managing and evaluating the change process. The book also tackles how to handle the political, economic, social, and technical considerations that differ from one community to the next. Providing a foundation with which to adapt to an ever-changing criminal justice climate, this book trains leaders to search for solutions, rather than relying on old formulas and scientific management principles. It is an essential resource for forward-thinking police leadership courses in colleges and professional training programs.

Foundations of Criminal Justice

Rather than simply giving students an overview of the elements of the criminal justice system--police, courts, and corrections--Foundations of Criminal Justice delves into the interdisciplinary ideas underlying those elements. With a new chapter on "Issues of Inequality in the Criminal Justice System," this edition delves even deeper into the larger questions and themes that govern our criminal justice system: Why is our justice system the way it is? How do we decide which actions are crimes? How is policy made? What is justice and is it achieved? The text features a robust pedagological apparatus to guide students in their learning: focusing and review questions appear throughout the text to focus student learning and solidify key concepts; chapter-ending Criminal Justice questions ask students to think critically and apply what they have learned to a real-life issue; and photo essays, which survey the broad range of issues in the chapters to come, open each Part.

Guide to computer forensics and investigations

Nelson/Phillips/Steuart's GUIDE TO COMPUTER FORENSICS AND INVESTIGATIONS, 7th Edition, blends reliable information from experts, robust instructor resources, and real-world applications -- delivering the most complete forensics resource available. -- Provided by publisher.

Better Crime Prevention

Better Crime Prevention provides a critical guide to theory, research, ethics, and politics in relation to crime prevention policy and practice. It concludes with an agenda for continuous improvement. The book also demonstrates what is involved in doing theoretically informed and realistically applied social science orientated to reducing harms. The focus throughout this book is on ethical and effective ways to reduce crime-related harms. There are chapters on how to target crime prevention efforts, crime prevention theories and frameworks, ethical issues in crime prevention, the practical conduct of crime prevention, evidence-based crime prevention, the politics of crime prevention, and the need for continuous adaptation in crime prevention. Student readers will obtain an overview of, and capacity critically to engage with, crime prevention theory and practice. Policymakers and practitioner readers will be able to make better-informed decisions about what to do and how to allocate crime prevention resources. Social scientists interested in contributing realistically to harm reduction will better understand how they can go about doing so.

Introduction to Homeland Security

Explore the growing concerns about security with this vital book Homeland Security has never been a more important part of the American social and political fabric. Risk assessment, attack prediction and prevention, preparedness measures, response to terrorist activity, and natural disaster management all fall under the purview of homeland security. It is a key focus of the US security state, which has expanded massively in recent decades. Introduction to Homeland Security provides an overview of this subject for professors, students, and practitioners in the field. Drawing upon a rich foundation of scholarship and academic literature, it focuses principally on terrorism prevention and protection, and offers new content related to novel threats and security concerns. Its practitioner-centered approach and attention to both governmental and non-governmental stakeholders make it an indispensable introduction to the subject. Readers will also find: Coverage of the four traditional phases of emergency management New and additional treatment of border control, drug trafficking, organized crime, mass shootings, protests, riots, pandemics, and climate change Companion websites including extensive pedagogical materials, student self-assessment tests, and an image gallery Introduction to Homeland Security is ideal for professors and students in homeland security and emergency management programs, as well as practitioners involved in this important profession.

Suggested Reading

Print books are arranged on the shelf in Library of Congress Call Number order. Each call number begins with an alphanumeric base (e.g., "BF109.J8") that is followed by a cutter and a date of publication (e.g., "A25 1993"). See a librarian if you need assistance.

Call Number Range (Where to Find Books on the Bookshelves)

  • HV 6001 - HV 9920.5 - Crime and Delinquency
  • K - Law in general

Please check the catalog or databases, or contact RCBC Library to see if book is currently available. Here are a few suggestions:

Ebooks

Ebooks are accessible directly from the Library catalog. If you're interested in finding ebooks only, head to eBook Collection. To log in, use the barcode located on the back of your student ID and your pin number. You have the option to download ebooks to a device, but we strongly recommend reading them online to take advantage of the full suite of available tools. Create a personal account using your Library barcode and PIN to manage and organize your ebook reading and research.

BCLS Books

Rowan College of Burlington County's Library has an agreement with the Burlington County Library System (BCLS) that allows our students to check out physical books from the BCLS system with their RCBC Library barcode. BCLS books can also be requested to be delivered to the RCBC Library for patron pickup and BCLS books can be returned to the RCBC Library.

Need A Book We Don't Have?

  • RCBC Library is part of the Burlington County Library System (BCLS)

    • Your RCBC Library barcode allows you to check out physical material at other BCLS branches. (A separate BCLS Library card is needed to access their online resources.) 

    • If another branch has a book that you are looking for, either call them to place it on hold for you, or as a RCBC librarian to call for you.

    • Note: a book that shows up as being in another branch may be currently in use by another patron. Save yourself a trip and call to double check the book's availability!

  • Inter-library Loans

    • If a book that you want is not available in the RCBC Library or BCLS, we can attempt to order the book from an outside library to be delivered to the RCBC Library. Note: this method may take 2 weeks or longer for the book to arrive at RCBC.

    • To order a book via inter-library loan, please either fill out a blank form from JerseyCat or contact Debbie Kolodziej at dkolodzie@rcbc.edu.

  • Faculty Book Requests

    • For more information, please contact Rachel Pieters at rpieters@rcbc.edu or ext. 1269.
 

Library Services

  • Research assistance - help finding sources, evaluating sources

  • Online workshops for citing and plagiarism are held throughout the semester. To request a citing workshop, please email library@rcbc.edu