About the text – This text is specifically designed for the Introduction to Criminal Justice course. This text will provide much of the information needed to do well in the class. The text was designed to present key information needed to understand the field of criminal justice without distracting the reader with tidbits about the field or extraneous information to add to the page count. The text is presented in an electronic format to keep information up-to-date, to keep costs down for students, and to allow interactive learning exercises and graded activities to be included. The interactive exercises are specifically designed to improve understanding and retention of the information, as well as to work on both critical and creative thinking skills.

Use of the text – This electronic text allows the reader to make comments in the notes box at the bottom of each page. Much of the text is organized in drop-down menus by section so as not to overwhelm the reader with too much text on their screen at any one time. The drop-down menus also provide a visual outline of the material. When returning to the text after exiting it, the text will automatically re-open on the last page viewed. The drop-down menus can be closed after the section is read or they may be left open as the reader chooses. Polls and activities accessed in the text will open in a separate window. It is important to exit out of each activity once it is completed and before leaving the text as otherwise the program will reopen the activity and not the text since that was the last page the reader was on. There is a quiz included at the end of each chapter and each quiz consists of four questions. It is important to submit your answer for each question as it is completed. Also submit your answer for the final question in each quiz before clicking the “finished” button so answers and scores can be recorded. Before finishing the quiz check to make sure that each of the questions have turned an orange color showing that they were successfully submitted for grading. If there are any problems in using the electronic text simply complete the web support form which can be accessed from inside the text and the publisher will have a technology support staff member contact you as quickly as possible.

Dr. Wendelin Hume has been an educator and researcher at the University of North Dakota for over 25 years. She completed her undergraduate degree at Black Hills State University in Spearfish, South Dakota and her masters and doctoral degrees in Criminal Justice and Criminology at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas. Based in part on her experiences growing up on an Anishinaabe reservation in Northwestern Ontario and on her work in the criminal justice field her academic interests include: tribal justice, restorative justice, and victim issues ranging from cybercrime to family violence. Dr. Hume designed this text and its exercises to provide up-to-date information about the field of criminal justice and to emphasize the skills of critical and creative thinking in a way that will engage readers and strengthen their active reading skills. Her personal interests center around her family, her ranch, contributing time and energy to the community, and her undergraduate and graduate students.