Newswise — MACOMB, IL – A new book by a retired faculty member in the Western Illinois University School of Law Enforcement and Justice Administration (LEJA) focuses on the importance of voting. According to LEJA Professor Emeritus Clyde Cronkhite, "Law Enforcement and Justice Administration: Strategies for the 21st Century" (published by Jones & Bartlett Learning), in the republic form of government, laws and how they are enforced are meant to be a reflection of the will of the majority.

"Those who vote, however, elect those who make, interpret and enforce these laws. Members of the criminal justice system take an oath to uphold the will of the majority, but in reality it is the will of those who vote," Cronkhite said.

In his book, Cronkhite explains how the criminal justice system plays a major role in our country's freedom.

"The laws enforced, the protection of individual rights and the freedom that people in the United States enjoy all depend on citizens expressing their will by voting," Cronkhite continued. "It is unfortunate that today in many elections not even the majority of registered voters vote (this is particularly true in local elections). This can leave a criminal justice practitioner having to enforce laws the majority may not favor. How people vote is not the issue—the issue is it is the votes of the people that control the administration of criminal justice."

According to the publisher's website, "Law Enforcement and Justice Administration: Strategies for the 21st Century" is a "comprehensive examination of the prevailing criminal justice organizations present in law enforcement, courts and correctional systems. Using a realistic, field-based approach that combines theory with application, this text explores the operations, issues and practices that administrators within criminal justice face today."

Comments about Cronkhite's book, posted on the Jones & Bartlett Learning website, are attributed to two high-level federal law enforcement officials, including Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Robert Mueller and Assistant FBI Director John J. Miller.

"Law Enforcement and Justice Administration: Strategies for the 21st Century" is available at New Cooperfield's Book Service in Macomb, as well as from the publisher's website at www.jblearning.com/catalog/9781449655167/, and at most locations where books are sold (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc.).

More about Cronkhite and his latest book is available on his website, Criminal Justice Consulting, at www.clcconsultants.com. Contact Cronkhite at (309) 833-1249 or via email at [email protected].

Learn more about WIU's School of Law Enforcement and Justice Administration at www.wiu.edu/leja/.