Cops, Teachers, Counselors Summary

-Cops, Teachers, Counselors is a collection of (mostly) truth stories and experiences gathered by the authors Steven Maynard-Moody and Michael Musheno through interviews and research. From street-level patrol officers to public school teachers this book will strive to shed some light on some of more memorable moments in these people’s careers trying to deal with other people’s problem. There is drama, bloodshed, and even a bit of some romance in these tales but there is also accounts of strife, empathy, and humility. Although some of these people had to makes some pretty hard decisions, they strive to do the rights thing while also trying to maintain a handle on the situation. Thus through their efforts some of these people were able to find

their redemption while others were not as fortunate, regardless in the end we all are just human.
-Regarding how the book contributes to understanding of criminal justice theory, first one need to consider what other people tend to think of when it comes to discussing this subject and they unfortunately tend to think of in terms of black and white. Whether it is about punishing all those who committed some specific crimes through the death penalty or prolonged confinement because they deserve it and that there is no hope for redeeming these people or whether it is about rehabilitating everyone because they are simply misunderstood and only due to a greedy and corrupt judicial system does crime continue to persist. There is rarely any middle ground for debate when it comes to those specific crimes, say for example three men were arrested on drug charges one group of people would argue that they broke the law and thus should be punished accordingly while another group would argue that they should be sent to rehabilitation and counseling instead citing sources that claim it would be more beneficial in the long run. Fearing that their position would be compromised or misinterpreted each group would rather push their set of claims and ideals as the correct course of action for all rulings disregarding the context of the crime than to agree to the suggestion that each offender should be given individual consideration instead.

-The book can help broaden one’s view of criminal justice as typically most people who get into criminal justice tend to form their opinions based off of mystery novels, movies, news outlets, current politics, and other sources that tend to embellish the reality of the situation in favor of more attention.

It is not until they hear about stories like these that their beliefs and opinions may start to waver as it is not always about pursuing bank robbers in massive car chases, hunting down deranged serial killers, or just getting a guilty verdict. Sometimes it is just about trying to talk some sense into people, help others get back on their feet, and maybe even do a little good in the

world.
-As Criminal Justice Majors we would have a better understanding of the subject than most people would have in their entire lifetime however most of us have yet to attain the same knowledge and experiences as the professionals of our field.

While the did lectures we had so far in class have been very informative by applying both objective facts while sometimes implementing unusual yet interactive methods in order to provide perspective on certain scenarios in criminal justice history. It just doesn’t really compare to what the book gives which are provide real-world criminal justices cases that many people would usually go through sometimes on a day to day basis. Compared to what was taught so far from the lectures which were objective facts and cooking lessons, one of the criticisms of the book (which the authors made a note of to point out) is that the stories can be filled with loose recollections and possibly exaggerated accounts of what really happen which is natural of course as most people tend to remember mainly the parts that were the most significant to them and tend to forget just about everything else.

-Compared to books like Michael Lipsky’s Street-Level Bureaucracy Maynard-Moody and Musheno’s book allows the interviewee to speak for themselves and explain what they do allowing both the reader and the authors to analyze their stories. While these two books do cover some of the same dilemmas in regards to public service Lipsky discussed it with more objective facts

and the statistics of the time, his book however doesn’t offer the same level of interpersonal communication as Cops, Teachers, Counselors.
-Cops, Teachers, Counselors true to its name is an insightful collection of stories from the front lines of public service viewed from the perspective of modern times, although the stories that are told were past attempts to improve the lives of those who needed support or preventable tragedies that ended in pain and sorrow some people might not see that way. Some might say to those who fall back on old habits should have never left prison, some might say that because of these heartbreaking events that the government needs to redirect more funding into public service in order to prevent the preventable, and some might say to either side why bother putting in the effort? Crimes won’t change, people don’t change, and society never changes so what’s the point if these cops, teachers, counselors, etc. can barely make a difference in the long run? As Maynard-Moody and Musheno puts in there is no simple solutions to the problems of street-level dilemmas, but that doesn’t mean we should feel disheartened and allow pragmatism to give way to hostility. The job of street level bureaucrats is to adhere to the laws, rules, and procedures but they try to make good judgment calls even if it may involve bending the rules for the greater good.