Skip to Main Content
Lloyd Sealy Library
John Jay College of Criminal Justice

Criminal Justice

Selected Readings in Corrections

Alarid, L. (2009). Community corrections. In J. M. Miller 21st century criminology: A reference handbook (pp. 620-627). SAGE Publications Ltd.

Bivens, N. (2012). Corrections. In W. R. Miller (Ed.), The social history of crime and punishment in America: An encyclopedia (Vol. 5, pp. 337-342). SAGE Publications Ltd.

Chambliss, W. J. (2011). Key issues in crime and punishment: Corrections. SAGE Publications Ltd.

Clear, T.R., Reisig, M.D., Petrosino, C., & Cole, G.F. (2017). American corrections in brief. 3rd. ed. Cengage Learning. Reserve Desk HV9471 .C573 2017

Roberson, C. (2002). Corrections. In D. Levinson (Ed.), Encyclopedia of crime and punishment (Vol. 4, pp. 331-336). SAGE Publications Ltd.

Schmalleger, F. (2011). Corrections in the 21st century, 6th ed. McGraw-Hill. Stacks HV9471 .S36 2011

 

Evaluating Internet Resources

In this section, you will find links to our research guides related to criminal justice.  These research guides have internet links which have been selected by librarians and are considered appropriate for the study of certain topics within criminal justice and ancillary disciplines. When searching the web and finding resources that have not been selected by information professionals, you want to make sure that the information you've found is valid and from a reliable source.

Use our Library guides to help you find reliable sources on the web:

Evaluating Information Sources on the Web

Information Literacy: What is it?

Corrections: Internet Resources

360degrees: Perspectives on the U.S. Criminal Justice System

A unique collection of first-person stories from inmates, correctional officers, lawyers, judges, parole officers, parents, victims and those whose lives have been affected by the criminal justice system; interactive quizzes, interactive corrections timeline from 600 to the present from a multitude of perspectives, a list of resources including curriculum, reading list, video and radio documentaries, and links to related sources.

American Correctional Association

ACA, founded in 1870, is the oldest association developed specifically for practitioners in the correctional profession with a stated purpose of improving the justice system. Their site includes professional development courses, certification and webinars; ACA Standards and Accreditation materials including legislation and best practices; information from the ACA Office of Correctional HealthcareConference details and proceedings; ACA Global Outreach; and access to Corrections Today.

American Prison Newspapers, 1800-2020: Voices from the Inside

An open educational resource with over 450 prison newspapers published from U.S. prisons, some of which are still being published today. American Prison Newspapers provides a collection of these newspapers which represents "penal institutions of all kinds, with special attention paid to women's-only institutions."  New content will be added regularly.

Correctional Association of New York

For 175 years, the Correctional Association of NY has been "the only independent organization in New York with authority under state law to monitor prisons and report our findings to the legislature and the broader public." In maintaining a unique role and perspective, CANY provides "a platform for people inside prison to participate in and shape the public debate on the incarcerated." Their website offers Data and Research, Reports from People Inside, association News, Reports and Testimony and more.

Correctional Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Information on correctional health care issues from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) such a health related State, Federal and Organizational resources, Data and Statistics, Recommendations and GuidanceScientific Reports & MMWRs (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report) for correctional facilities and healthcare settings, Health Education Materials, and Research Regulations Regarding Prisoners.

Corrections & Reentry, CrimeSolutions.gov

A National Institute of Justice site with an overview of corrections and reentry along with valuable descriptions and evaluation of numerous reentry programs and practices related to corrections and reentry.

Corrections, National Criminal Justice Reference Service (NCJRS)

The NCJRS provides a wealth of online publications and links to a multitude of  resources. A must-see site for the state of corrections in the United States.

Equal Justice Initiative

The Equal Justice Initiative is a nonprofit organization "committed to ending mass incarceration and excessive punishment in the United States, to challenging racial and economic injustice, and to protecting basic human rights for the most vulnerable people in American society." The provide legal representation, challenge the death penalty and the use of excessive force while providing re-entry assistance to those formerly incarcerated.  Their focus is on marginalized communities and committed to changing the narrative about race in America. View reports, discussion guides, short films and other educational materials for a wide audience.

Innocence Project

The Innocence Project's mission is to exonerate those innocent people who have been wrongly incarcerated.  They work towards reforming the criminal justice system responsible for their unjust imprisonment, improving case law and implementing policies that prevent wrongful convictions, in addition to providing support to exonerees in their post-release lives.  A good section on the causes and factors that contribute to wrongful convictions.

Institute for Criminal Policy Research

The Institute for Criminal Policy Research carries out independent multidisciplinary research on crime and the criminal justice system. Their stated key audiences are politicians and their advisors, managers and practitioners within the criminal justice system and other professionals working with offenders. Their site provides work previously conducted by The Institute for Criminal Policy Research, including the World Prison Brief.  Publications (not all fulltext) on topics such as crime and the community, criminal justice agencies and services, criminological research methods, courts, sentencing and attitudes to justice, drugs, alcohol and crime, ethnicity, religion and identity, gender and crime, volunteering, peer mentoring and the criminal justice system, and international prisons research.

National Institute of Corrections Library

National Institute of Corrections' Digital Resource Library has online publications on offender reentry, among other topics.

New York City Department of Correction

New York Correction Historical Society

The New York Correction Historical Society is guided to "pursue, preserve and promote the history of correction services in New York."  Their site offers a wide range of historical information, some concerning individuals, individual facilities and the history of corrections in general in New York State and New York City. Some interesting features include Correction timelines with Executions by Hanging in NYS 1779 - 1889 ; Chronicles of lives, times, places and events in corrections history; a Virtual Museum and Archives of NY Correction History; and various newsletters published by New York City Department of Correction.

New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision

Prison Activist Resource Center

Prison Activist Resource Center (PARC) provides an online source for progressive information on prisons and the prosecution system through up-to-date articles, links and other vital resources from prisoners and advocates nationwide. For students, educators, community organizers and anyone concerned with human rights and social justice.

World Prison Brief

World Prison Brief provides free access to information on prison systems around the world. The site provides statistics on prison systems and incarceration rates in over 200 countries. This web site is hosted by the Institute for Criminal Policy Research (ICPR) supports evidence-based development of prison policy and practice globally and provides access to some of their international publication, reports and speeches.

Reentry: Internet Resources

Corrections & Reentry, CrimeSolutions.gov

A National Institute of Justice site with research on and evaluation of programs and practices related to corrections and reentry.

Corrections, Reentry, and Community Supervision, Urban Institute

The Justice Policy Center of the Urban Institute produces research briefs and reports combining quantitative and qualitative methods to analyze crime trends and evaluate prevention initiatives in order to provide objective data grounded in the experiences of victims, offenders, and practitioners.  A substantial resources related to the return of prisoners back to society.

Institute for Justice and Opportunity at John Jay College

Formerly known as the Prisoner Reentry Institute, the Institute for Justice and Opportunity has as its mission to serve as a "champion of institutional, structural, and personal transformation" in "open[ing] doors and eliminat[ing] barriers to success for people who have been involved in the criminal legal system." The Institute provides information on Educational and Career Pathways, in addition to Policy Advocacy to "create access to higher education and pathways to satisfying careers" and "advocate for the right to housing, employment, healthcare, and other human rights too often denied people with criminal convictions."  Institute Research and Publications are included.

The Last Mile

 

National Reentry Resource Center

The NRRC was established by the Second Chance Act and is administered by the Bureau of Justice Assistance, U.S. Department of Justice.  The Center provides education, training, and technical assistance to agencies working on prisoner reentry. Their mission is to advance and dissemination information in addition to promote evidence-based best practices in offender reentry.

Offender Reentry, National Institute of Justice

The National Institute of Justice's overview of offender reentry as well as links to their research reports and other web resources related to reentry.

Offender Reintegration, National Institute of Corrections

National Institute of Corrections' Digital Resource Library with online publications on offender reentry. Search the entire NIC site for more information.

Reentry, Council of State Governments Justice Center

The Reentry Policy Council (RPC) was established in 2001 to assist state governments in dealing with issues of reentry through bipartisan policies and principles in order to facilitate and coordinate an exchange of information among organizations implementing reentry initiatives, research and funding.  RPC is a national nonprofit organization serving law makers at all levels of government.

Reentry Issue Areas, such as juveniles, mental health and mentoring are richly presented along with reentry Projects, Resource and Facts and Trends.

Reentry/Release, CrimeSolutions.gov

A National Institute of Justice site with research which rates the effectiveness of criminal justice programs and practices for practitioners and policy makers intended to figure out what works, what doesn't, and what's promising in criminal justice, juvenile justice, and crime victim services.

Reentry/Release, National Criminal Justice Reference Service

National Criminal Justice Reference Service’s webpage on prisoner reentry.  Includes Q&As, National Institute of Justice publications as well as links to related websites and publications other than NCJRS.  Recidivism is also covered.

Reentry Resource Center: New York

Reentry Net/NY, a project of The Bronx Defenders and Pro Bono Net, is a collaborative education and resource center for individuals and organizations in NY that advocate for people with criminal records and their families.  The site serves as both a support network and clearinghouse for information on prison and jail reentry in NY.

Second Chance for Ex-Offenders Act of 2007(H.R. 623 IH)

Bill summary and status for the Second Chance for Ex-Offenders Act of 2007, a piece of federal legislation on allowing criminal records to be expunged under certain circumstances for certain nonviolent offenders.