First published in 1940, R. M. Jackson's Machinery of Justice in England has long been established as the classic text on the subject, unparalleled in its lucidity, breadth of treatment and critical engagement with the issues involved. For this edition, J. R. Spencer has undertaken a further full-scale revision, incorporating such major topical innovations as the Police and Criminal Evidence Act of 1984 and the Prosecution of Offences Act, 1985.

‘Professor Jackson’s robust and lucid style distinguishes [this book] from all its rivals. Here is a man who not only knows his own mind but is prepared to reveal it with vigour and clarity. The principal strengths of the book lie in its clear presentation of the subject, often tracing its development over the years, and above all in its critical appraisal … the quality of Jackson’s Machinery of Justice is so conspicuous that it rightly ranks as a classic of modern legal writing. It is the definitive answer to anyone who questions whether the English legal system is suitable for academic study, and those who reard the legal system as one of their sustained work over the years.’

Source: The Times Higher Education Supplement

‘ … the work remains the classic textbook in this field for the law student, the interested layman and the foreign reader, all of whom will find a concise and remarkably accurate and readable account of the way in which justice is administered in England.’

Source: New Law Journal