Pfeiffer Library: Criminal Justice: COR120 Correctional Thought and Practice

COR120 Search Strategies

This page will provide you with some tips and tricks to make your research a breeze! If you still can't find what you need, please don't hesitate to contact the library! You can find our contact information and more on the Get Help page.

To get you started, here are some general search strategies:

Keyword Strategies

Use these keywords in a general search in any one of our recommended databases or inside DragonQuest:

History of punishment
Prison riots in the United States
Determinate sentencing
Security threat groups
Prison treatment programs
Prison privatization
Gender and prison
Exile AND Criminal Justice
Appeals Court System
Cruel and Unusual Punishment

Subject Strategies

Searching for results by subject heading, rather than by keywords, can help you focus your search in new directions. Consider these subject search options:

Prison riots
Judicial process - United States
Correctional rehabilitation
Imprisonment - United States
False imprisonment

The following image shows you how to change your search to a subject search by using the dropdown menu inside DragonQuest:

Research Starters

Need some extra guidance? Try a Research Starter:

What is a Research Starter?

Research Starters are encyclopedia entries, so they are more of an "idea gathering" mechanism than a scholarly source to support your stance on an issue. They provide you with background information on a broad topic and highlight keywords you can use and/or links to source material to get you started on your research.

Narrowing DragonQuest Search Results

If you'd like to know how to narrow down your DragonQuest list to only full text, peer reviewed, or specific types of resources, we recommend the following tutorial:

DragonQuest Advanced Searching
Advanced search tab of the DragonQuest tutorial which discusses methods for focusing a search to a more specific type of item.

Recommended Reading

Looking for an eBook on topics related to this course? We recommend the following:

Private Prisons by Charles H. Logan
Call Number: Online
ISBN: 9780195063530
Publication Date: 1990-07-26
American prisons and jails are overflowing with inmates. To relieve the pressure, courts have imposed fines on overcrowded facilities and fiscally strapped governments have been forced to release numerous prisoners prematurely. In this study, noted criminologist Charles Logan makes the case for commercial operation of prisons and jails as an alternative to the government's monopoly. On philosophical, economic, legal, and practical grounds, Logan argues a compelling case for the private and commercial operation of prisons. He critically examines all objections raised by opponents, and concludes that while private prisons face many potential problems, they do so primarily because they are prisons, not because they are private. Historically, the record of private ownership and operation of corrections facilities has been bleak--ridden with political corruption, physical abuse of prisoners, and the single-minded pursuit of profits. This study demonstrates that this need not be the case. Critiquing the tendency to contrast private prisons with a hypothetical ideal, Logan instead compares them with existing public institutions, arguing that the potential problems attributed to private prisons are experienced by their public counterparts. The work examines ten sets of issues, including the propriety, cost, security, and quantity of prisons, to set out a strong case for the viability of proprietary prisons.

Academic Writer Help

Academic Writer This link opens in a new window
Compose papers in pre-formatted APA templates. Manage references in forms that help craft APA citations. Learn the rules of APA style through tutorials and practice quizzes.
Academic Writer will continue to use the 6th edition guidelines until August 2020. A preview of the 7th edition is available in the footer of the resource's site.

Previously known as APA Style Central.

If you'd like additional guidance on using Academic Writer, we recommend the following tutorial:

Academic Writer
Guide tutorial for Academic Writer.

Criminal Justice

View Case Law

Related Guides

COR120 Search Strategies

Academic Writer Help