Hoover Library: *Criminal Justice: Web Resources

Web Resources

Crimes and Prisons from USA.gov
This site includes links to federal prison records, a database of corrections departments by state, and much more.
FBI Reports and Publications
Search for reports and publications by subject and/or year.
Federal Judicial Center
The Federal Judicial Center is the research and education agency of the judicial branch of the U.S. government. Topics found on this website include history of the courts, research about the courts, education for the courts, and a FJC publications search tool.
List of DOJ Offices and Programs
Here you will find an alphabetical listing of all Department of Justice components, programs, and initiatives, with links to their websites.
National Criminal Justice Reference Service Virtual Library
Maintained by the U.S. Department of Justice, this online database contains bibliographic information and abstracts for more than 230,000 resources related to corrections, courts, drugs and crime, law enforcement, juvenile justice, crime statistics, and victims of crime. Resource types include federal, state, and local government reports, books, research reports, journal articles, unpublished research, and all known Office of Justice Programs’ publications from the early 1970s to the present.
Sentencing Commission Guidelines
This manual of federal sentencing guidelines is produced by the U.S. Sentencing Commission, an independent agency in the judicial branch that was created as part of the Sentencing Reform Act of 1984. It is available in HTML, mobile-friendly, and .pdf formats for browsing, downloading, or printing.
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Established in 2022, the DHS comprises 22 federal agencies brought together to coordinate federal security issues. Some of the criminal justice agencies included in DHS are the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).
U.S. Department of Justice
This is the home page of the government agency that deals with criminal justice issues at the federal level. Particularly useful are reports and websites about national criminal justice issues, such as civil rights, youth violence, domestic violence, and immigration.

Criminal Justice at the National Conference of State Legislatures
The NCSL tracks state legislative interests on a wide range of topics related to the criminal justice system. Click on the “All Documents” button to search for reports and documents; or scroll down the page for links to “Hot Topics” and to legislation and bill tracking databases.
Library eCollection
In this database of publications from the National Center for State Courts, you can click on a broad topic to browse or use the advanced search button for a more focused search.
Sentencing Guidelines by State
Search by state for a summary of sentencing guidelines and a link to the sentencing commission for that state.
State Court Websites
At this page, maintained by the National Center for State Courts, you can find links to each state’s judicial branch, as well as a link (in the first paragraph) to an interactive court structure chart which allows users to compare the key features of court organization for up to six states at once.

Maryland

Governor's Office of Crime Prevention, Youth, and Victim Services
This site provides information on criminal justice initiatives throughout Maryland.
Maryland at a Glance - Criminal Justice
From the Maryland State Archives, this overview of the Maryland criminal justice system contains links to all the agencies, programs, and institutions it mentions.
Maryland Department of Juvenile Servivces
This site provides information about the Maryland office tasked with appropriately managing, supervising, and treating youth who are involved in the state’s juvenile justice system.
Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services
This site provides information about the Maryland prison system, including pretrial detention centers and parole/probation programs.
Maryland State Commission on Criminal Sentencing Policy
At this site, you can find the Maryland Sentencing Guidelines Manual, as well as a variety of reports about how the guidelines, which are voluntary, are used by the courts.
Maryland State Courts
The Maryland State Courts homepage contains a wealth of information. Use the pull-down menus on the main navigation bar (“Courts”, “Court Help”, etc.) to browse by topic. Use the site index or the search box (both at the top) for a more focused search.

Carroll County and Westminster

Carroll County Detention Center
See also the links in the left sidebar of this page and the “Corrections” link under the “CCSO Bureaus” dropdown menu (top of page).
Carroll County Sheriff's Office
Westminster Police Department

INTERPOL
INTERPOL (International Criminal Police Organization) provides a platform for collaborative crime-fighting efforts by law enforcement agencies around the world. The site contains information about and resources produced by the organization.
Scotland Yard (Metropolitan Police)
In addition to general information about one of the world’s oldest law enforcement agencies, this site also contains data related to crime and law enforcement in the 620 square miles of the Greater London area. Access requires completion of an exercise (e.g., check all the images of buses) to verify you are human.
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)
Through its global network of field offices, the UNODC offers practical assistance and encourages transnational approaches to making the world safer from drugs, organized crime, corruption, and terrorism.

The majority of the links below are to nonprofit organizations, and as such, are not considered to be scholarly sources. They have been included for the wide variety of viewpoints they represent, often communicated through compelling personal stories.

National

American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)
The ACLU was founded in 1920 with the goal of defending and preserving individual Constitutional rights and liberties through litigation and advocacy. Criminal justice topics addressed by ACLU include capital punishment, criminal law reform, juvenile justice, and prisoners’ rights.
Conservatives Concerned About the Death Penalty
This group is a network of political and social conservatives who question the alignment of capital punishment with conservative principles and values.
Death Penalty Information Center (DPIC)
The DPIC is a national non-profit organization serving the media and the public with analysis and information on issues concerning capital punishment. Find in-depth reports, statistics, and multimedia resources.
Equal Justice USA
This organization works to transform the justice system by promoting responses to violence that break cycles of trauma, elevate healing over retribution, meet the needs of survivors, advance racial equity, and build community safety.
The Innocence Project
Through litigation, policy reform, and education, The Innocence Project works to free the innocent and prevent wrongful convictions.
National Association of Community and Restorative Justice (NACRJ)
“The NACRJ uses principles of social and restorative justice to assist educators, practitioners and others to seek transformation in the ways harm and justice questions within the United States are addressed through prevention, repair and healing. The Association promotes effective responses to conflict, incivility, crime and injustice that are equitable, sustainable, socially constructive and prevention oriented.”
National Inventory of Collateral Consequences of Conviction
Collateral consequences are legal sanctions and restrictions imposed upon people because of their criminal record. Researchers can use this database to search (by jurisdiction, consequence, offense type, and duration) for policies relating to collateral consequences of a criminal conviction. Results include citations to the relevant law.
National Reentry Resource Center
Established by the Second Chance Act (Public Law 110-199), the NRCC facilitates research and information exchange that support the reentry field.
Sentencing Guidelines Resource Center
From the Robina Institute of Criminal Law and Criminal Justice at the University of Minnesota, this site provides information and comparative analysis about U.S. sentencing guidelines systems.

State and Local

Center for Substance Abuse Research (CESAR)
An interdisciplinary research center at the University of Maryland, CESAR conducts research and gathers statistics to inform policymakers and practitioners about the nature and extent of substance use disorders, and their prevention and treatment.
High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA)
This organization works to reduce drug trafficking and misuse in the Baltimore-D.C. metropolitan area through interagency collaboration.
Maryland Crime Victims' Resource Center
This organization works to ensure that victims of crime receive justice and are treated with dignity and compassion.
Maryland Reentry Resource Center
This organization works to reduce Maryland’s recidivism rate by providing holistic and multi-faceted post-incarceration support.
Restorative Practices Resources
The resources on this page, compiled by staff at the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law, may be useful to those researching the juvenile justice system.

International

Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences (ACJS)
The ACJS promotes criminal justice education, research, and policy analysis for scholars, educators, and practitioners.
American Society of Criminology
The ASC seeks to foster the multidisciplinary exchange and dissemination of criminological scholarship and knowledge by students, practitioners, and scholars.
Amnesty International
Through research, advocacy, and campaigns, Amnesty International works to fight abuses of human rights worldwide.
European Institute for Crime Prevention and Control (HEUNI)
A part of the United Nations Criminal Justice and Crime Prevention program network, HEUNI aims for a fair and just world by advancing humane and rational criminal justice policies and systems in the European region.
Institute for Crime & Justice Policy Research
From a U.K.-based institution, this site may be useful for international perspectives on crime and justice policy.
International Center for the Prevention of Crime (ICPC)
Founded in Montreal, Canada, in 1994, the ICPC works to promote and support safer communities via the development of effective policies, programs, and tools.
Penal Reform International
PRI is a non-governmental organization working globally for fair and effective criminal justice systems that uphold human rights for all and do no harm.

Research Topic Ideas

Research Topic Ideas - Criminal Justice
This list of ideas for research in criminal justice was compiled by the librarians at the University of Michigan-Flint.

Criminal Justice Open Educational Resources (OER)

Open Educational Resources (OER) are materials for research, teaching, and learning that either reside in the public domain or are released under a license that allows free use, adaptation, and sharing with others. The following list represents some of the OERs available for the study of Criminal Justice. To search for additional OER materials, see the links to OER databases at the bottom of our Electronic Books: eBook information for Faculty page.

Capital Punishment in Context
This site from the Death Penalty Information Center facilitates the exploration of capital punishment in the U.S. through reading, discussing, and researching actual cases, each of which highlights several broader issues. Creation of a free account is necessary for full access to all the supplementary materials, which include original police reports, transcripts of witness testimony, and materials prepared by leading researchers and scholars.
Criminal Justice: An Overview of the System
This primary textbook is accompanied by a supplemental text, Fundamental Cases in Criminal Justice. (See link below.) Instructor and Student resources are available via the “Learning Resources” links in the online table of contents.
Ethics in Law Enforcement
Written from a primarily Canadian perspective, this text is available as an epub, a .pdf file, or online.
Fundamental Cases in Criminal Justice
Designed to accompany the OER textbook, Criminal Justice: An Overview of the System. (See link above.)
Fundamentals of Criminal Investigations
Instructor and Student resources for use with this OER textbook are available via the “Learning Resources” links in the online table of contents.
Introduction to the American Criminal Justice System
This OER covers law enforcement, criminal courts, sentencing, penal institutions, and community-based sanctions, including the perspectives (historical/contemporary) and frameworks (legal/constitutional) in which they operate. It is available in a variety of online and downloadable formats.
Introduction to Criminal Justice
Finding no OER textbook for their introductory Criminal Justice course, the authors selected freely available articles supporting their syllabus topics, which include the scope/nature of crime, the criminal justice process, the juvenile justice system, law enforcement, adjudication, corrections, and local/national trends. Click on the link at this record to download the syllabus, which in turn contains links to the course readings. (You must create a free MERLOT account and log in to view this item.)
Social Problems: Continuity and Change
Available for reading online and as a downloadable .pdf, this textbook has chapters on the many issues facing our society today, including crime and criminal justice. Grounded in a service sociology vision, each chapter includes additional features that motivate application of the text material, e.g., “Lessons from Other Nations”, “Children and Our Future”, and “What You Can Do”. Each major section includes learning objectives, key takeaways, and review questions.

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*Criminal Justice: Web Resources

Web Resources

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