Criminal Justice 101: A First Course is an introductory level book intended for beginning criminal justice students. It provides students with a practical, reader-friendly experience and we present and explain our materials, as much as possible, in an easy-to-read, conversational style. The fundamentals and basic tenets of criminal justice are explored in 12 chapters (easily covered in one semester) and we avoid the sometimes lengthy and oftentimes cumbersome information that is prevalent in so many other publications. Our text also attempts to eliminate the unnecessary legal formulations and esoteric terminology that the beginning criminal justice student may not always need. The book provides basic and fundamental information that can easily be absorbed by the beginning criminal justice student in one semester. It is our intent to provide a book that will engage students, rather than burdening them with information that may, at times, be overwhelming and unnecessary at the introductory level.