Prentice HallCriminal Justice Style Sheet

Criminal Justice titles

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Grammar/Punctuation:

  • Cap after colon if complete sentence (per previous ed.)
  • Lowercase all prepositions, regardless of length.
  • Use serial comma
  • Spell out i.e., e.g., and etc. in text.
  • Style per Chicago, 15/e; spelling: per Webster’s 11th
  • Author style: “upon” okay; no distinction: “since/because” “while/whereas/although”; use of contractions okay; “above/below” used in prev. ed. but trying to avoid in this one
  • Superlatives: best-known law, longest-running show, fastest-growing group, better-prepared agencies, lower-income households (per Chicago)
  • Possessives: Congress’s, Morris’s, but United States’, series’, Hopkins’, Woods’
  • No italic for the “v.” in case titles: United States v. Granada
  • Web addresses use full address: except cjbrief.com
  • En dash: Chicago-based crime unit, Los Angeles–based crime unit
  • Questions: More precisely, we might ask, “Why does a particular person commit a particular crime on a given occasion and under specific circumstances?”
  • X-refs: ... discussed in detail in Chapter 5, “Policing: Legal Aspects.”
  • Dates: Future dates in sources, including website access dates, okay as long as they do not extend beyond publication date (per AU 4/12/06)
  • Acronyms: Spell out at first appearance in each chapter. Acronym follows spelled-out term and is enclosed in parens. Okay to use acronym alone from then on in chapter.
  • Retain comma with Jr. and Sr.: Jesse L. Jackson, Sr.; but Robert S. Mueller III
  • Use space around initials in personal names: O.J. Simpson.
  • Italics: Use italics for titles and subtitles of books; names of TV series; words as words (the term hacker); letters as letters (a red letter A); sparingly for emphasis; aka’s (known as the Bill of Rights; the social product we call justice).
  • Use ital for In re, Ex parte, id., ante, supra, cert. denied, aff’d, aff’d per curiam, aff’g, rev’d, rev’d en banc, rev’d sub nom; but See, e.g., slip op. at 34, slip op. 37, Cf.
  • Use quotation marks for irony; nonliteral use of word (a “road map” to criminal justice); newly coined terms.
  • In glossary, use bold for cross-references; italics for aka’s (per prev. ed.)
  • Style note: Burbank (California) Police Department, Broward County (Florida) Sheriff’s Department

Capitalization:

  • the city of New York, New York City; state of Washington, Washington State
  • white, black, Hispanic
  • Court of Appeals of Kentucky, the appeals court; a U.S. district court in Wyoming
  • Titles of people: capitalize if immediately precedes name (President George W. Bush), but lowercase if comes after or stands alone (the chief of police of the city of Seattle), except in margin quote attributions (Tony Fabelo, Executive Director, Texas Criminal Justice Policy Council)
  • Coshocton County (Ohio) municipal judge David Hostetler
  • divorce court, judge, etc., but Court, Judge, Etc. okay if in quoted court case
  • the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, the First and Eighth Circuit Courts of Appeal, appeals court, courts of appeals (plural)
  • the U.S. Supreme Court, the Court, the justices; Warren Court, Warren and Rehnquist Courts
  • a state board of education, but the California State Board of Education
  • the national Constitution, but a state constitution, constitutional question
  • First Amendment; the Supremacy Clause, the Establishment Clause, the Free Exercise Clause
  • the Fifth, Sixth, and Fourteenth Amendments
  • Texas Penal Code, Texas Code, the code, but Model Penal Code, the Code, the Code Commentaries and United States Code, the Code (per usual law book style for these two main codes)
  • Megan’s Laws, Justinian Code
  • Safe Streets and Crime Control Act of 1968; the Safe Streets Act, the act
  • Catholic Church, Anglican Church, the church; the Christian church
  • Washington Post, Wall Street Journal in a note (no “The”), but the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal in running text (note lowercase “the”)

Numbers:

  • Spell out one to ten (except taller than 6 feet, 1 inch); use numerals for 11 and above (including 1 million).
  • Ages: eight-month-old (n, adj); ages one and three; 21-year-old (n, adj); “Jackson, 45, had been arrested...”
  • Ordinals: Generally spell out: second-grade teacher, twelfth-grade student, twenty-first century, mid-nineteenth century (n), late-nineteenth-century (adj)
  • Birth-death years: Daniel Webster (1782–1852); Robert Merton (1910– )
  • 1,31210,562
  • 1980s
  • Use numerals with percentages: 50%; 8% to 19%
  • Use numerals with dollars: $3 billion
  • one-half, two-thirds
  • four years’ imprisonment, term of two years and eight months
  • .40-caliber, .357-caliber (adj); 9mm (adj)
  • 5–4 opinion; voted 5 to 4
  • a factor of four, a ratio of two to one
  • Phone: (888)813-USSS9-1-1 call900-number
  • 9/11 (shortened version of September 11, 2001)post-9/11

Lists: ... including

  • Cap then entry
  • Cap then entry
  • Cap then entry
  • Use sentence punc. if full sentences.
  • Numbered items in text: (1), (2), etc.; numbered items in margin definitions also the same, not 1.), 2.), etc.

Notes(per AU 4/8/06 e-mail, “existing citation styles should be retained unless they are in error.”)

Books:

Charles E. Silberman, Criminal Violence, Criminal Justice (New York: Random House, 1978), p. 12.

Lawrence W. Sherman et al., Preventing Crime, 2nd ed. (Washington, DC: National Institute of Justice, 1997). (Chicago 15/e now says to use 2nd, 3rd)

Philip B. Kurland and John Doe, “Robert H. Jackson,” in Leon Friedman and Fred L. Israel, eds., The Justices of the United States Supreme Court 1789–1969: Their Lives and Major Opinions, Vol. 4 (New York: Chelsea House, 1969), p. 2565.

Jill Peay, “Dangerousness—Ascription or Description,” in M.P.Feldman, ed., Violence, Vol. 2 of Developments in the Study of Criminal Behavior (New York: John Wiley, 1982), p.211, citing N.Walker, “Dangerous People,” International Journal of Law and Psychiatry, Vol. 1 (1978), pp.37–50.

Coramae Richey Mann, “The Reality of a Racist Criminal Justice System,” in Barry W. Hancock and Paul M. Sharp, eds., Criminal Justice in America: Theory, Practice, and Policy, 14 vols.(Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1996), pp. 51–59.

Reports:

Federal Bureau of Investigation, Crime in the United States (Washington, DC: FBI, 2006). (per AU 4/8/06, do not use “Author” as the publisher when repeated.)

Effects of NIBRS on Crime Statistics, Bureau of Justice Statistics Special Report (Washington, DC: BJS, 2000), p. 1.

North Carolina Justice Academy, Miranda Warning Card (Salemburg, NC: North Carolina Justice Academy).

Ramiro Martinez, Jr., and Matthew T. Lee, “On Immigration and Crime,” in National Institute of Justice, Criminal Justice 2000, Volume 1: The Nature of Crime—Continuity and Change (Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, 2000).

1967 Presidential Commission, The Challenge of Crime in a Free Society (Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1967).

National Institute of Justice, Newport News Tests Problem-Oriented Policing, National Institute of Justice Reports (Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, January/February 1987).

Bureau of Labor Statistics, Career Guide to Industries, 2004–2005 (Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 2005).

Federal Bureau of Investigation, Uniform Crime Reports: Crime in the United States, 2004 (Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 2005).

Journal Article:

Gene Edward Carte, “August Vollmer and the Origins of Police Professionalism,” Journal of Police Science and Administration, Vol. 1, No. 1 (March 1973), pp. 274–281.

Edward A.Farris, “Five Decades of American Policing: 1932–1982,” Police Chief (November 1982), pp.30–36.

Magazine, Newsletter, or Newspaper Article:

Debbie Howlett, “Chicago Plans Advanced Surveillance: Emergency Services Would Be Linked to 2,000 Cameras,”USA Today, September 10, 2004, p. 3A.

“Cries of Relief,” Time, April 26, 1993, p. 18. (doesn’t have to have reporter name)

“Battered Women Tell Their Stories to the Senate,” Charlotte (N.C.) Observer, July 10, 1991, p. 3A.

Miscellaneous:

Wire Service Report: “For the Record,” Washington Post wire service, northern edition, March 3, 1994. (May include name of reporter) (Associated Press should be roman)

Book on CD-ROM: The American Heritage Dictionary on CD-ROM (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1991).

Television Program: ABC News, September 16, 2001, 7:08 p.m.

ABC News, September 11, 2001. Christopher was repeating a phrase generally attributed to former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Arthur Goldberg.

Speech: “Remarks by the President on Project Safe Neighborhoods,” Pennsylvania Convention Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, May 14, 2001. Web posted at (accessed April 2, 2002).

Website: American Civil Liberties Union website, (accessed January 22, 2002).

Video: Norval Morris, “Crime, the Media, and Our Public Discourse,” National Institute of Justice, Perspectives on Crime and Justice video series, recorded May 13, 1997.

Online Article: “Weekend of Terror,” APB Online, July 5, 1999. Web posted at (accessed January 2, 2000). (May include name of reporter) (Lowercase “online” with newspaper titles)

Philip Taylor, “Civil Libertarians: Giuliani’s Efforts Threaten First Amendment,” Freedom Forum Online. Web posted at (accessed June 13, 2006).

Paper presented: D. McBride, “Trends in Drugs and Death,” paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Criminology, Denver, CO, March 1983.

Proceedings: Mark M. Pollitt, “Cyberterrorism: Fact or Fancy?” in Proceedings of the Twentieth National Information Systems Security Conference, October 1997, pp. 285–289.

Private communication: Telephone conversation with FBI officials, April 21, 1995.

Press release: “Attorney General Ashcroft and Deputy Attorney General Thompson Announce Reorganization and Mobilization of the Nation’s Justice and Law Enforcement Resources,” U.S. Department of Justice press release, November 8, 2001.

Repeats:

  • If repeated directly below previous cite, then use “Ibid.”
  • If different page number, then “Ibid., pp. 67–72.”
  • If more than one cite removed, use shortened author and/or just title if no author listed:

Nolan and Nolan-Haley, Black’s Law Dictionary, p. 1026.

Baker et al., Criminal Law, pp. 32–56.

“Cries of Relief.”

Legal Citations:

Gideon v. Wainwright, 372 U.S. 353 (1963). (note no ital on “v”; may include information for other legal reporters)

Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (officially known as the Public Company Accounting Reform and Investor Protection Act), Pub. L. 107–204, 116 Stat. 745 (July 30, 2002). (OR spell out Public Law when stands alone)

18 U.S.C., Section 922(q)(1)(A). U.S. Code, Title 28, Section 20.3 (2[d]).

Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, 10.

18 U.S.C., Section 1028.

H. R. 4797, 102d Cong. 2d Sess. (1992).H. R. 1731 (2004).

Andersen v. U.S., U.S. Supreme Court, No. 04-368 (decided May 31, 2005).

Source lines: Same style as notes. Note that some source lines says “Reference(s),” some “Source(s).” Leave as is, because “reference” means that author wrote it using the various references listed and no permission is needed; if it says “source,” then it’s a quote for the most part and may need permission.

(Hint: Look for the logo.)

(Note: This feature is available only if your instructor has chosen the Research Navigator option available with a new textbook.)

(See Table 4–1.)

“Blue Wall”

“crime stopper” group

“get tough,” “get tough on crime” (adj)

“missing persons” report

“war on drugs”

§ 235(b) (note space after section sign)

a.d. 200; 1700 b.c.; between a.d. 527 and 565

a.m.

ABC News/Prentice Hall Video Library

Abdel-Rahman, Omar (Egyptian sheik)

actus reus

administrations: Bush administration

Administrative Office of the United States Courts (AOUSC)

adviser, not advisor

African-American (n, adj) (use instead of black unless awkward)

agreed-to obligation

AK-47s

aka, not AKA (also known as)—no need to spell out

Allen charge

al-Qaeda (n, adj) (lowercase a per FS e-mail 7/6/05)

American Probation and Parole Association (APPA)

analytic, not analytical

anti compounds are closed: antiabortionist, anticrime, antidrug, antigang, antigovernment, antirights, antistalking, antiterrorism, antitrust(but anti–drug abuse ‘cuz compound)

Arab-American (n, adj)

armed forces

Asian-American (n, adj)

attorney–client privilege

attorneys general (pl), attorneys’ fees

automaker, autoworker

automated teller machine

b.c.

baby boom, baby boomer (n), baby-boom (adj)

babysitter (n)

batterer, battered women’s shelter, battered women’s syndrome

biblical

Bill of Rights

bin Laden, Osama

Bivens action

blameworthiness

bloodborne (adj)

body-cavity search

boot camp (adj), boot camp-type (adj) (quote marks for first use)

Brawner rule (per 6e)

break-in

breakup (n, adj), break up (vb)

Breathalyzer

broken windows thesis

Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS)

cabinet-level position

call-box (adj)

Capstone Case

carjacker, carjacking (n)

caseload

cell block (n), cell-block (adj)

certiorari

Chapter 11

chat room

child-care, child-neglect (adj), child-savers movement

chop shop (n)

Christmas-time (per FS)

Citizen Service System

civil rights (n, adj), civil rights era, civil rights movement

class D felony

class-action (adj)

co compoundsare closed: coauthor, BUT co-conspirator

Code of Hammurabi

cold war

combating

comes stabuli (sing.), comites stabuli (pl.)(ch05)

common law (n, adj)

community policing (n, adj)

CompStat

computer crime (n), computer-crime (adj)

Congress, congressional

contempt-of-court charges

cooling-off period

Coplink

corporal punishment, not corporeal

corpus delicti

correctional officer, but corrections official, corrections personnel, corrections professional

Cosa Nostra

counter compounds are closed: counterclaim, countersuit, counterterrorism

court of appeals (sing.), courts of appeal (plural per FS; not courts of appeals)

court-docket system, court-watch group

coworker

crime clock (FBI)

crime compounds are hyphenated as adj: crime-control, crime-detection, crime-fighting, crime-mapping, crime-prevention, criminal-rights activist, crime-scene

Crime Index, the index, Crime Index offenses (UCR)

crime-prone (quote marks for first occurrence only)

CrimeStat

criminal justice (adj), but criminal justice–related (adj) (note en dash)

criminalblackman myth (Russell)

cross burning (n)

cross-action, cross-claim, cross-complaint, cross-cultural, cross-jurisdictional

cross-examine (vb), cross-examination (n), cross-examiner

Cultural Revolution (China)

cyber compounds generally closed: cyberattack, cybercrime, cyberoffender, cyberspace, cyberstalking, cyberterrorism

Cybrary, cyber-library; the Prentice Hall Cybrary (not Dr. Frank Schmalleger’s Cybrary)

data are

day-care (adj)

D–Calif.

de compounds generally closed: deconstructionist, but de-emphasize, de-escalate per Webster’s 11th

de novo

death penalty (n, adj), death row (n), death-row (adj)

Death Penalty Information Center (DPIC)

decision maker (n)

degrees: bachelor’s degree, doctorate, master’s degree

determinate sentencing model

diminished capacity defense

direct-supervision jails

disk (CD), disk (computer)

dispute-resolution (adj)

distance-learning (adj)

DNA evidence (no need to spell out)

domestic-violence (adj) (per 6e)

double jeopardy (adj)

double-murder trial, multiple-murder trial

drive-by shooting

driver’s license

drug compoundsare hyphenated as adj: drug-distribution, drug-law, drug-treatment; open as n: drug dealing, drug running, drug testing; but drugmaker

drug czar

drug–crime link

drunk-driving (adj)

due process (adj)

Dumpster

Durham rule

early-release program

East Coast

Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA) (1986)

e-mail

end product

Enlightenment

ever compounds are hyphenated: ever-greater, ever-widening

ex compounds are hyphenated: ex-husband, ex-spouse, ex-wife, ex-convict

ex post facto

facade

Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) (per FS, cap Federal, but correct acro is BOP)

Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure, Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, Federal Rules of Evidence, Local Rules (no ital per AU)

felony murder (n, adj)

Figure 1–2 <TTL>The Criminal Justice System <CAP>This is the caption. <SRC>Source: etc.

fine-tune (v)

first responder (n)

first-degree (adj), first degree (predicate adj)

firsthand, secondhand

fistfight

fleeting targets exception

free compounds are hyphenated as adj; open as predicate adj

fruit of the poisoned tree doctrine

full-time, part-time (adj)

ganghanger (n)

gang-rape (vb)

geographic, not geographical

ghettos

glossary (“... provided in the glossary”)

G-man

good-faith exception, good-time credit

grassroots (adj)

guilty but mentally ill (GBMI)

gun control (n), gun-control (adj), gunmaker (n)

habeas corpus

half century

halfway house

hand-deliver, hand-delivering (vb)

hands-off doctrine

hard-core (adj)

hate crime (n), hate-crime (adj)

health care (n, adj)

high-technology (adj)

hip-hop

Hispanic

historical, a (per Chicago 6.60)

HIV-positive (adj, pa)

home page

home-confinement programs

hot spot (quote marks for first use only)

ill compounds are hyphenated: ill-founded, ill-prepared

impanel, not empanel

implied-in-fact contract

incident-driven (adj)

indeterminate sentencing model

index crime, index offense

individual-rights (adj)

Industrial Revolution

inevitable-discovery exception

Information Age

ing compound adjectivesare hyphenated: crime-fighting, data-gathering, law-making, policy-making, problem-solving, record-keeping, but crime data–gathering

ing compound nounsare open: bribe taking, case processing, child rearing, crime mapping, crime reporting, data gathering, decision making, fire setting, policy making, problem solving, record keeping, theory building; but bed-wetting, eavesdropping, fund-raising, jaywalking, peacekeeping, sleepwalking, wiretapping

inner-city (adj)

intelligence-led policing (ILP)

inter compounds are closed: interagency, interstate

International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP)

Internet

intestacy

IQ (intelligence quotient)—no need to spell out

irresistible-impulse defense

jailhouse lawyer

Joint Terrorism Task Forces (JTTFs)

joy-riding

jury-selection (adj)

just deserts (n, adj)

Kansas City (Preventive Patrol) Experiment

key card

kidnapper, kidnapping

knock-and-announce (adj)

Koran

labor racketeering (n)

larceny-theft (n, adj)

large-scale (adj)

law enforcement (adj), but law enforcement–related (adj) (note en-dash)

Law Enforcement Assistance Administration (LEAA)

Law Enforcement Code of Ethics (ch06)

law violator

law-and-order advocate

lawbreaker (n), law-breaking (n, adj) (per Webster’s); lawgiver (n), lawmaker (n), law-making (adj)

lawsuits

less-lethal weapon, not less-than-lethal

Library Extra 1–2, Library Extras 2–7 and 2–8 (per prev. ed.)

life course perspective

life span

lifelong

lifestyle (n, adj)

like compounds are generally closed unless two syllables or more: warlike, family-like, circus-like, fortress-like, homelike, machine-like, dormitory-like, fishhook-like, kamikaze-like, POST-like; but ward-like, bird-cage-like, crime-like