American criminal courts legal process and social context is an introductory level text that offers a comprehensive study of the legal processes that guide criminal courts and the social contexts that introduce variations in the activities of actors inside and outside the court specifically the text focuses upon legal processes. American criminal courts legal process and social context provides a complete picture of both the theory and day to day reality of criminal courts in the united states the book begins by. American criminal courts legal process and social context provides a complete picture of both the theory and day to day reality of criminal courts in the united states the book begins by exploring how democratic processes affect criminal law the documents that define law the organizational structure of courts at the federal and state levels the overlapping authority of the appeals process and the effect of legal processes such as precedent jurisdiction and the underlying philosophies . American criminal courts legal process and social context is an introductory level text that offers a comprehensive study of the legal processes that guide criminal courts and the social contexts