Criminal Justice in Aotearoa New Zealand, 2nd edition

Criminal Justice in Aotearoa New Zealand, second edition, provides an account of the collective processes and values drawn upon to respond to social harms existing prior to colonisation and the imposition of the English legal system in Aotearoa New Zealand. The book emphasises the lack of any coherent philosophy connecting the many stakeholders of criminal justice and the fact that law and justice outcomes are not uniformly fair as regards the different groups of people they impact; in particular, young people, Māori, Pacific peoples, those with mental impairment, and women. The book describes the foundational theories and procedures that inform and underpin the system, including the trial process, criminal procedure, policing, and sentencing. It also addresses a number of contemporary issues, such as the role of the media in defining justice issues, the emergence of alternative ways of doing justice, and the challenges presented by the current technological revolution to how we criminalise social harms and enforce the criminal law.

The text is aimed at a broad audience: law and other social science students studying the operation of criminal justice in Aotearoa New Zealand, lawyers, judges, policy makers, law and sociology academics, and lay readers seeking a more informed understanding of criminal justice in Aotearoa New Zealand.