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Criminology: Explaining Crime and Its Context, Fourth Edition

NCJ Number
188529
Author(s)
Stephen E. Brown; Finn-Aage Esbensen; Gilbert Geis; Kimberly A. Verhegge
Editor(s)
Gail Eccleston
Date Published
2001
Length
927 pages
Annotation
These three volumes include a textbook that explores the context and causes of crime, an instructor's guide, and a study guide with computer diskette.
Abstract
The textbook examines a number of frameworks for explaining crime and, therefore, is suggestive of many strategies for addressing the problem. The book describes three issues that are important to keep in mind throughout the entire text. First is the relativity of crime. What is considered a crime varies by time, place, and who is doing the defining. The text examines contemporary efforts to redefine crime by focusing on family violence, hate crimes, white-collar misconduct with violent consequences, and other forms of "excluded harms", i.e., harmful behaviors that either do not fall within the purview of the criminal law or do but are not pursued vigorously by agencies of social control. A second highlight is the prevalence of the scientific method in the field of criminology. Finally, the impact of ideology on explanations of crime and on crime policy is a cornerstone of the book, with particular attention to assessing the gender implications of various theories and policies. The Instructor's Guide includes questions of various forms (fill-in-the-blank, multiple-choice, matching, short-answer, and discussion) for each chapter of the textbook. The computer diskette included in the guide contains the same questions, but does not include the correct answers. The Study Guide includes a summary of the content of each chapter in the textbook, definitions of key terms, and brief descriptions of the pertinent contributions of key criminologists. Tables, figures, glossaries, cases, references, indexes