A criminal justice system is defined in terms of its component parts that are loosely tied together as a group of subsystems. Difficulties in precisely characterizing a criminal justice system can complicate the comparison of foreign criminal justice systems with respect to legal principles. The criminal justice model used to study foreign criminal justice systems is based on the rule of law regarding guilt and punishment. The summaries of foreign criminal justice systems focus on political and legal systems, the classification of crime, crime statistics, victims, police organization and administration, the prosecutorial and judicial process, judicial systems, penalties and sentencing, prison systems, and extradition and treaties. Procedures followed in selecting foreign countries for inclusion in the volume are noted. 17 references