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17 J. Contemp. Crim. Just. 3 (2001)

handle is hein.journals/jccj17 and id is 1 raw text is: 




EDITORIAL COMMENT


As  we proceed  into the 21st century, the study of law enforcement and the
criminal justice system will focus more intently on subgroups in society as a
means  of better understanding the whole. One of these subgroups is the rural
landscape. Too often, research has focused directly on urban centers or aggre-
gated  numbers. The  study of rural-specific patterns and trends is of the
utmost importance. Thus, we have decided to dedicate this issue of the Journal
of Contemporary   Criminal Justice to the study of rural processes and rural
justice.
  It is my hope that the articles will illuminate the distinctive nature of crimi-
nal justice systems and populous  expectations of the rural experience in
America.  As a result, this issue will inspire new and better research into rural-
specific subject areas.
  It was my  intention to craft an issue that would be balanced (containing
articles covering a variety of branches of the criminal justice system) and rep-
resent theoretical and practical, qualitative and quantitative avenues of analy-
sis. In the end, I am confident that we have done just that. The first article, by
David  E. Olson, Ralph A. Weisheit, and Thomas Ellsworth, explores proba-
tion sentencing and outcomes in a comparative paradigm. The second article,
by  Nigel J. Cohen, is an intriguing glimpse into the world of nonlawyer
judges. Carolyn Ball's article involves a broad-based view of rural percep-
tions of crime. The fourth article, by Deon Brock, Michael Copeland, Phillip
Ethridge, and myself,  compares  and contrasts the nature of drug offense
arrest and prosecution in select rural environments versus their urban coun-
terparts. Lastly, Eugene E. Bouley and Terry L. Wells have prepared an article
analyzing  attitudes of citizens in a southern rural county toward juvenile
crime and justice issues.
  In the final analysis, this issue will provide a balanced view of rural sys-
tems, covering the courts, probation and parole, citizen opinion, juvenile-
specific issues, drug crime, and so forth. I hope it is as valuable to you as the
process of preparing it has been for me.




                                       Robert F. Scott, Jr.


Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice, Vol. 17 No. 1, February 2001 3
D 2001 Sage Publications, Inc.
                                    3


from the SAGE Social Science Collections. All Rights Reserved.

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