Crime and Law Enforcement

Last updated: December 28, 2010

Basic Documents

• Crime Control: The Federal Response
  

• Congressional Research Service, Updated September 23, 2003.
• The Federal Court System in the US: An Introduction for Judges and Judicial Admnistrators in Other Countries. (3rd edition)
  Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, 2010 
• Capital Punishment: An Overview of Federal Death Penalty Statutes
• Congressional Research Service, Updated January 5, 2005. This report lists the current federal capital offenses and summarizes the procedures for federal civilian death penalty cases.

Electronic Journals

• The Supreme Court of the United States: Highest Court in the Land
• An Electronic Journal of the U.S. Department of State, April 2005

Useful Links

• Judicial Branch
• Bureau of Justice Statistics
• Crime Organizations and Associations
• Crime in the United States
• CrimeLynx  CrimeLynx was developed in 1996 by Denver-based criminal defense attorney Jeralyn Merritt to give legal practitioners, both experienced and new to the Internet, a solid starting point from which to venture out and gather the information they need without wasting valuable time trying to locate relevant links on their own. CrimeLynx is updated daily with news and commentary of interest to the criminal defense community and journalists covering crime-related news and politics. In addition to legal research and media links, CrimeLynx also publishes the best internet forensic and expert witness and investigative links, as well as links to the most informative crime policy sites.
• Criminal Justice Journalists Criminal Justice Journalists is the first national organization who cover crime, court and prison beats. It has an information center with diverse links to sites on crime and law enforcement, prisons and punishment, guns and gun control, and high-tech crime
• The Death Penalty Over 1,000 links to sites relating to the death penalty.
• FINDLAW
• Hate Crime
• Institute for Criminal Justice Studies
• INTERPOL 
• The Legal Information Institute (Cornell Law School)
• National Criminal Justice Reference Service
• Officer.com This is a popular law enforcement web site with many links and created by a police officer.
• Police Academy Listings 
• Rule of Law
• Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse  The Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC) is a data gathering, data research and data distribution organization associated with Syracuse University.  TRAC Web sites describe the enforcement activities and staffing patterns of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, the Immigration and Naturalization Service, and the U.S. Customs Service.
• U.S. Department of Justice

Organizations

• ABA Juvenile Justice Committee
• Bureau of Justice Statistics A division of the U.S. Department of Justice that maintains statistical data on crime and victimization.
• Center for Studies in Criminal Justice Research institute that studies the operation of deterrent processes in criminal law, the relationship of weapons to homicide rates and gun control measures, prisons, and juvenile and family courts.
• Coalition to Stop Gun Violence Advocacy group that works to reduce the supply of and the demand for handguns and assault weapons through education programs and legislation.
• Death Penalty Information Center Nonprofit group that provides information about capital punishment to the media and the general public, with a special emphasis on problems with the way the death penalty is implemented.
• Families Against Mandatory Minimums Foundation Organization of citizens interested in the reform of statutory mandatory minimum sentences. Encourages legislators to replace mandatory minimum sentences with greater use of judicial discretion.
• Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Publishes the annual Uniform Crime Report which tracks crime in cities and communities across the country.
• Fortune Society Nonprofit organization that focuses on promoting greater public awareness of the prison system, and the problems confronting inmates before, during, and after incarceration. Also provides tutoring and other support services for ex-convicts.
• Join Together A nonprofit organization that supports community-based efforts to reduce and prevent gun violence.
• Justice Research and Statistics Association Professional association that collects, analyzes, and disseminates data concerning crime and criminal justice at the federal and state levels. Assists in the identification of techniques for analyzing criminal justice data.
• Juvenile Law Center
• National Center for Juvenile Justice Encourages progressive administration of juvenile justice through research and dissemination of data. Collects juvenile court statistics, and hosts visiting scholars who conduct research.
• The National Council on Crime and Delinquency (NCCD)
• National Crime Prevention Council Works with citizens, teachers, police officers, and other interested parties to develop techniques for handling drug problems, domestic violence, and other criminal situations.
• National Criminal Justice Association Association of state and local criminal justice professionals that promotes innovation in the criminal justice system through coordination of law enforcement, the courts, corrections, and juvenile justice. Also seeks to focus attention on issues related to the control of crime.
• National Institute of Justice The research and development arm of the U.S. Department of Justice, assigned to gather research on crime, conduct national demonstration projects and develop new technologies.
• National Prison Project (American Civil Liberties Union) Litigation and advocacy group for the protection of inmates' Eighth Amendment rights, the improvement of prison conditions, and the reduction of prison overcrowding.
• National Rifle Association Nonprofit group that advocates to preserve the Second Amendment right to bear arms, promotes public safety and law and order, and provides training in firearm safety, good marksmanship, and hunter safety.
• Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) Agency within the Department of Justice that encourages the expansion of state victim assistance programs, and promotes victim rights through legislation and public policy. Also maintains a resource center that provides information on issues including domestic violence, child abuse, victim rights, and victim compensation.
• Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Office within the U.S. Department of Justice that provides leadership and resources to develop and support the prevention of juvenile victimization and to respond to juvenile delinquency through the juvenile justice system. Complies statistics on juvenile victimization and delinquency.
• Safer Society Foundation Educational organization that develops materials for professionals who work with sexual offenders and victims. Compiles statistics on sex offenses, and provides referrals for the assessment and treatment of youthful and adult sexual victims and offenders.
• The Sentencing Project Provides public defenders and other public officials with information on establishing and improving alternative sentencing programs. Promotes increased public understanding of the sentencing process and its alternatives.
• Youth Law Center