New in the third edition is a historically updated chapter on the 1980s/1990s era of criminal justice history — the Reagan era. Still further, an entirely new chapter covering the Era of Security from September 11, 2001, to the present time has been added to the new edition, bringing A History of Crime and Criminal Justice in America up-to-date with contemporary times. Each chapter begins with an overview of the social, political, and economic forces that shaped society during each of America's historical eras, then follows with a more specific review of both the ordinary and extraordinary crimes of that time period. Each chapter then covers how the criminal justice system (police, courts, corrections, and juvenile justice) responded to these crimes, thereby conveying how the American criminal justice system developed over time.