The first of its kind, Public Policy of Crime and Criminal Justice provides readers with a strong foundation in public policy and applies it directly to the criminal justice field. Written by scholars in the field of criminal justice, with backgrounds in political science and public policy, the book presents a solid understanding of public policy and then describes each of the various actors in the public policy process at the federal, state and local level. It specifically applies the public policy concepts to four components of the criminal justice system: police, courts, corrections, and juvenile justice. Finally, it closes by presenting a "real-world" case study that demonstrates how all of the facets of the public policy process come together to create new crime policy in the United States.