Judges from Asia, Africa, the Caribbean, Europe, the Pacific Islands, New Zealand, North America, and South America all contributed to this text by sharing information on their careers as well as insights as they traversed their profession. The readership of this manuscript will experience the thought processes of judges in relation to the social, cultural, economic, and political context of their respective nations and the gender issues, subtle attempts at juridical control, dealing with powerful criminals, and the lives of judges who have other interests besides "interpreting and applying the law." The international, cross-cultural perspectives presented in this book should be of significant interest to academics, practitioners, students, criminologists, and the criminal justice community, and those interested in comparative legal studies across the globe.