LibGuides: Law and Legal Services Research Guide: Resources for Research

Databases for Research

When searching the databases,...

use short, general search terms (i.e. Law Enforcement Mental Health Training)
use the limiters in the databases to find articles from a specific time period (i.e the last 5 years) or a certain kind of document (i.e. magazine, newspaper article, interview, etc.).

Points of View Reference Center This link opens in a new window
Pro vs. con essays that present multiple sides of current or controversial issues. Plus magazine and newspaper articles, primary sources, and more related to those issues.
Issues & Controversies This link opens in a new window
Essays written to give students a thorough review of all sides of a topical issue or controversy. Log in with your Virtual Student Library Card.
Gale in Context This link opens in a new window
Encyclopedia, magazine, and journal articles, plus primary sources, images, video, and more for middle and high school students.
Explora Teens This link opens in a new window
Contains middle and high school-appropriate magazine, journal, and encyclopedia articles and also includes primary source documents, reference books, and multimedia.
ProQuest Global Newstream This link opens in a new window
Newspaper articles from hundreds of papers including the Star Tribune, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, and The New York Times.
Minnesota Newspapers: State and Local This link opens in a new window
Full-text searchable papers, from the Twin Cities Metro area and across the state. Log in with your Virtual Student Library Card

Helpful Websites & Articles

Rank and File: Reflection on Emerging Issues in Law Enforcement
Published by the U.S. Department of Justice

Fostering Innovation to Respond to Top Challenges in Law Enforcement: Proceedings of the National Institute of Justice's 2018 Chiefs' Panel on Priority Law Enforcement Issues and Needs

While You Google It

Below you'll find books dealing with law enforcement and criminal justice. For print books in the SHS Learning Commons, see Ms. Melbourne, Ms. McCullough, or Ms. Reishus if you need help locating copies. To access eBooks & audiobooks in MackinVia, log in with your school credentials.

Criminal Justice by Tamara L. Roleff (Editor)
Call Number: 364 Cr
Presents opposing viewpoints on such aspects of criminal justice as reform of the system, rights of the accused, and police abuse of authority.
Criminal Justice by David M. Haugen
Call Number: 364.97 Cr
Explore specific issues of criminal justice with expert opinions in a pro/con format.
The United States Justice System by Ellen Dupont
Call Number: 364.973 Du
Presents a overview of the U.S. justice system, covering law enforcement agencies, and the court system.
Juvenile Justice by Jean Leverich (Editor)
Call Number: 345.73 Ju
Students explore specific issues of juvenile justice with expert opinions in a pro/con format
Crime and Criminals by Christina Fisanick
Call Number: 364.973 Cr
This book is a collection of articles in which authors debate whether all criminals are treated fairly, whether mentally ill offenders should be executed, whether the death penalty deters crime, and whether rehabilitation reduces recidivism rates among drug offenders.
Should Juveniles Be Tried as Adults? by Christine Watkins (Editor)
Call Number: 345.73 Sh
Features a collection of essays that debate various issues surrounding the trying of juveniles of adults, including whether the death penalty should ever be considered, whether life without parole should be prohibited, and whether adolescents are competent to stand trial.
Sentenced to Life at Seventeen by Cynthia J. Faryon
Call Number: 364.152 FAR
Details the story of David Milgaard, who was sentenced to life in prison at age seventeen for a murder he did not commit. Discusses how Milgaard's innocence was proven twenty-three years later and how the identity of the real killer was eventually discovered.
Legal System by Clare Hanrahan (Editor); Clare M. Hanrahan
Call Number: 347.73 Le
Discusses various aspects of the legal system of the United States.
Anatomy of Innocence by Laura Caldwell; Leslie S. Klinger (Editor); Barry Scheck (Introduction by); Scott Turow (Introduction by)
Call Number: 364.973 ANA
Follows the arrests, confessions, trials, and convictions of fifteen innocent people who were nonetheless convicted and sent to prison before they were exonerated. They tell their stories to a group of high-profile mystery and thriller writers who describe what went wrong and offer data about crime and prison issues in order to make readers aware of these problems.
No Choirboy by Susan Kuklin
Call Number: 364.66 KUK
Teens sentenced to death talk about their prison experience and their crimes. Author Susan Kuklin also examines capital punishment and the inequities of the criminal justice system.
They Broke the Law--You Be the Judge by Thomas A. Jacobs
Call Number: eBook 345.73 JAC
Letters from and interviews with twenty-one children and teenagers who broke the law reveal what it is like to be arrested, attend legal proceedings, and be held accountable for one's actions.
Racial Profiling by Alison Marie Behnke
Call Number: eBook 363.23 BEH
Research and personal stories explore the history, the many manifestations, and the consequences of racial profiling in the United States.
Racial Profiling by Alison Marie Behnke
Call Number: 363.23 BEH
Research and personal stories explore the history, the many manifestations, and the consequences of racial profiling in the United States.

Below you'll find books dealing with law enforcement and criminal justice. To access print, eBooks, & audiobooks through the Scott County Library, use your Virtual Student Library Card. Books at Scott County Library branches outside of Shakopee can be sent to the Shakopee Branch to be picked up.

Biased by Jennifer L. Eberhardt
Discusses the role of bias in the criminal justice system. It has an enormous impact on the conduct of criminal justice, from the rapid decisions police officers have to make to sentencing practices in court.
Doing Justice by Preet Bharara
By the one-time federal prosecutor for the Southern District of New York, an important overview of the way our justice system works, and why the rule of law is essential to our society.
My Brother Moochie by Issac J. Bailey
Drawing on sociological research as well as his expertise as a journalist, he seeks to answer the crucial question of why Moochie and many other young black men--including half of the ten boys in his own family--end up in the criminal justice system.
13 Days in Ferguson by Ron Johnson; Alan Eisenstock (As told to)
In 13 Days in Ferguson, Johnson shares, for the first time, his view of what happened during the thirteen turbulent days he spent stabilizing the city of Ferguson, and the extraordinary impact those two historic weeks had on his faith, his approach to leadership, and on what he perceives to be the most viable solution to the issues of racism and prejudice in America.
The War on Kids by Cara H. Drinan
Drinan chronicles the shortcomings of juvenile justice by drawing upon social science, legal decisions, and first-hand correspondence with Terrence and others like him-individuals whose adolescent errors have cost them their lives. At the same time, The War on Kids maps out concrete steps that states can take to correct the course of American juvenile justice.
Punishment Without Crime by Alexandra Natapoff
This misdemeanor machine starts punishing people long before they are convicted; it punishes the innocent; and it punishes conduct that never should have been a crime. As a result, vast numbers of Americans -- most of them poor and people of color -- are stigmatized as criminals, impoverished through fines and fees, and stripped of drivers' licenses, jobs, and housing.
I Can't Breathe by Matt Taibbi
A work of riveting literary journalism that explores the roots and repercussions of the infamous killing of Eric Garner by the New York City police
From the War on Poverty to the War on Crime by Elizabeth Hinton
Challenging the belief that America's prison problem originated with the Reagan administration's War on Drugs, Elizabeth Hinton traces the rise of mass incarceration to an ironic source: the social welfare programs of Lyndon Johnson's Great Society at the height of the civil rights era.
The Black and the Blue by Matthew Horace; Ron Harris
A CNN contributor and former law enforcement officer offers a personal account of the racism, crimes, and color lines that challenge America's police, sharing insights into high-profile cases, the Black Lives Matter movement, and what is needed for change.