This collection explores current, significant issues in the field of criminal justice. The five volumes edited by William J. Chambliss comprise the Key Issues in Crime and Punishment series—Crime and Criminal Behavior; Police and Law Enforcement; Courts, Law, and Justice; Corrections; and Juvenile Crime and Justice.

In addition to being available as a five-volume set, each volume is available for separate purchase. Each title features its own focused introduction by Chambliss and a separate index to its content. With the changing scope and need for print reference materials, this offers libraries the advantage of purchasing all or selected series titles, depending on their students’ or patrons’ research needs.

The volumes are highly readable, well-organized, and filled with interesting content. Each chapter includes background information on a topic, as well as brief pro–con essays about the topic. Bibliographic references for further reading are included, as well as “see also” references to pages within the volume. Some examples of topics covered include undocumented immigrants, guns, and terrorism within Crime and Criminal Behavior; vigilantes, Miranda warnings, and zero-tolerance policing within Police and Law Enforcement; insanity laws, DNA evidence, and victims’ rights within Courts, Law, and Justice; gangs and prison violence, capital punishment, and prison privatization within Corrections; and school violence, violent juvenile offenders, and age of responsibility within Juvenile Crime and Justice. The e-book version is easy to use, with clearly visible and accessible table of contents, subject index, advanced search capabilities, and sidebar navigation to related items.

Depending on the needs of your students/patrons, specific volumes within the Complete Crime and Punishment Series, or the entire five-volume set, would be an excellent addition to your collection. Note that Sage offers numerous reference works that provide focused analysis of key topics in the field of criminal justice, such as the Encyclopedia of Crime and Punishment (2002), the Encyclopedia of Race and Crime (2009), the Encyclopedia of Victimology and Crime Prevention (2010), the Encyclopedia of White Collar & Corporate Crime (2004), and the Encyclopedia of Interpersonal Violence (2008), available in print or as e-books via Sage Reference online.

At the top of my list of positives about this set is the ability to purchase separate volumes or the complete five-volume set, with the recommendation to shelve them within the circulating collection for greatest use. In addition, the pro–con essays are well written and would be very useful to readers. One drawback I found with this series is that I would've liked to know more about the authors of the individual chapters. Though each chapter includes author's name and institutional affiliation, I would like to know more about the scope of each author's work and research.