Introduction

This chapter introduces the scope of the book as a whole. It emphasises the importance of understanding criminal law to criminal justice or criminology students. It raises awareness of the idea that criminal law and criminal justice need each other to function effectively but that they do not always fit together effectively in practice. The chapter looks at different definitions of both criminal law and criminal justice, and some key features of both institutions. The chapter then introduces key theoretical approaches to understanding what criminal law and criminal justice do. Building on these theoretical ideas, the chapter concludes by defining and explaining the different theoretical roadmaps, which will be used as a means of understanding criminal law and criminal justice in the rest of the book.