Criminology, Criminal Justice, Law & Society by various (various licenses) . 

“The Journal of Criminology, Criminal Justice, Law & Society (CCJLS) is an open-access, peer-reviewed journal that builds on the mission of its predecessor, Western Criminology Review (WCR), by promoting understanding of the causes of crime; the methods used to prevent and control crime; the institutions, principles, and actors involved in the apprehension, prosecution, punishment, and reintegration of offenders; and the legal and political framework under which the justice system and its primary actors operate.” — Website

International Journal of Criminal Justice Sciences  by various (CC BY-NC-SA).

“The International Journal of Criminal Justice Sciences (IJCJS) is a peer-reviewed open access journal focusing on the contemporary issues in Criminology, Criminal Justice, and Victimology.” — Website

“The Journal provides a multi-disciplinary forum for scholarship and discussion of strategic security issues drawing from the fields of global security, international relations, intelligence, terrorism and counterterrorism studies, among others.” — website

Textbooks

Communications in Law Enforcement and the Criminal Justice System by Steve McCartney and Cindy Patterson (Justice Institute of British Columbia) (CC BY-NC-SA)

Decolonization and Justice: An Introductory Overview by Muhammad Asadullah, Charmine Cortez, Geena Holding, Hamza Said, Jenna Smith, Kayla Schick, Kudzai Mudyara, Megan Korchak, Nicola Kimber, Noor Shawush, Stephanie Dyck (CC-BY).

This textbook emerged from the undergraduate students’ final assignment in JS-419 on Advanced Seminar in Criminal Justice at the University of Regina’s Department of Justice Studies, Canada. This book focused on decolonization of multiple justice-related areas, such as policing, the court system, prison, restorative justice, and the studies of law and criminology. This is quite likely one of the few student-led book projects in Canada covering the range of decolonization topics. Ten student authors explored the concept of decolonization in law, policing, prison, court, mental health, transitional justice and restorative justice. We are grateful to receive funding support from the University of Regina’s OER Publishing Program Small Project Grant, which enabled us to hire a professional copy editor for the book.

Ethics in Law Enforcement by Steve McCartney (CC BY).

“In this book, you will examine the moral and ethical issues that exist within law enforcement. This book will also familiarize you with the basic history, principles, and theories of ethics. These concepts will then be applied to the major components of the criminal justice system: policing, the courts, and corrections. Discussion will focus on personal values, individual responsibility, decision making, discretion, and the structure of accountability. Specific topics covered will include core values, codes of conduct, ethical dilemmas, organizational consequences, liability, and the importance of critical thinking. By the end of this book, you will be able to distinguish and critically debate contemporary ethical issues in law enforcement.”– website

Forensic Toxicology: From Crime Scene to the Virtual Lab by Sanela Martic (CC BY-NC-SA).

Take a virtual tour from fundamental toxicology through laboratory demonstrations to court cases that focus on analysis, interpretation and reporting of toxicological results in a forensic science context.

Global Femicide  by Brenda Anderson, Shauneen Pete, Wendee Kubik, Mary Rucklos-Hampton (CC-BY-NC).

This textbook brings Canadian, Mexican and Guatemalan stories together to show that the interlocking systems of sexualized and racialized violence is not only a product of historic colonization but continues to be entrenched as deliberate systems of colonization and global femicide.  Using reflections from Torn from our Midst:  Voices of Grief, Healing and Action from the 2008 MMIW Conference, this book is uniquely situated to provide a decades-long retrospective on what, if anything has changed since the time of that conference.  Roadblocks and successes are found in the chapters written by family members, scholars and researchers, artists, global activists and Canadian policy-makers.

Introduction to Criminal Investigation: Processes, Practices and Thinking by  Rod Gehl, and Darryl Plecas (CC-BY-NC).

Introduction to Criminology  by Shereen Hassan and Dan Lett (CC-BY).

Although this open education resource (OER) is written with the needs and abilities of first-year undergraduate criminology students in mind, it is designed to be flexible. As a whole, the OER is amply broad to serve as the main textbook for an introductory course, yet each chapter is deep enough to be useful as a supplement for subject-area courses; authors use plain and accessible language as much as possible, but introduce more advanced, technical concepts where appropriate; the text gives due attention to the historical “canon” of mainstream criminological thought, but it also challenges many of these ideas by exploring alternative, critical, and marginalized perspectives. After all, criminology is more than just the study of crime and criminal law; it is an examination of the ways human societies construct, contest, and defend ideas about right and wrong, the meaning of justice, the purpose and power of laws, and the practical methods of responding to broken rules and of mending relationships.

Introduction to Community Psychology by Leonard A. Jason, Olya Glantsman, Jack F. O’Brien, Kaitlyn N. Ramian (CC-BY) .

This textbook tells the story of community psychologists, who view social problems as being due to the unequal distribution of resources, which causes poverty, homelessness, unemployment, and crime. In addition, because no condition or disease has ever been eliminated by just dealing with those with the problem, community psychologists focus their work on prevention. Finally, community psychology shifts the power dynamics so that community members are equal members of the team, as they provide unique points of view about barriers that need to be overcome in working toward social justice.

Mental Disorders and the Criminal Justice System by Anne Nichol (CC-BY-NC).

This is an introductory textbook exploring the management and treatment of people with mental disorders throughout the criminal justice system. Published in 2025 by Open Oregon with Mental Disorders and the Criminal Justice System Instructor Course Packs and an interactive website Mental Disorders and the Criminal Justice System OER Commons Group.

Race, Crime and Injustice by Shanell Sanchez, PhD and Jessica René Peterson, PhD (CC-BY).

This book was developed with a diversity, equity, and inclusion framework. This course is about race, so our primary focus will be on the experiences of people of color (POC) in the criminal justice system. An important aspect of this book is the various spotlight examples we weave throughout the chapters to demonstrate the application of materials. We hope to increase awareness of the experiences of people of color, both historically and in modern day, and the criminal justice system. Throughout history, people of color have had routinely negative experiences with the criminal justice system at every level. A person’s race and ethnicity can determine how one interacts with and experiences the criminal justice system. People of color have faced various barriers and challenges when attempting to make meaningful changes to a system that has operated in a repressive manner since it began. Produced by Open Oregon  in 2025 with a course pack Race, Crime and Injustice Instructor Course Packs and an interactive site Race, Crime and Injustice OER Commons Group.

Social Justice and Advocacy in Human Services by Cailyn F. Green, Bernadet DeJonge, Nikki Golden, Kim Brayton, Carrie Steinman and Shannon Raybold (CC-BY) .

This textbook delves into the complex realm of social justice, offering a deep dive into historical roots and theories to practical applications in the field. This text covers fundamental concepts, including power, privilege, and oppression, and explores critical issues like racism, gender, sexuality, poverty, religion, and disability in the context of the United States. The last section of the book hones in on the field of human services, discussing power, privilege, and bias in this context, and lastly exploring equitable distribution, human rights, and the systems and entry points within human services practice.