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"Criminology is a young discipline. In fact, the term "criminology" is only a little more than a century old. But in this brief time, criminology has emerged as an important social and behavioral science devoted to the study of crime and criminal behavior, and the society's response to both. Criminology fosters theoretical debates, contributes ideas and constructs, develops and explores new research methodologies, and suggests policies and solutions to a wide range of crime problems that dramatically affect the lives of countless people in the United States and around the world. Problems as vital and urgent as those addressed in this book are challenging, exciting, and, at the same time, disturbing and tragic. Moreover, these problems are immediately relevant to all of our lives. This is especially true today, when crimes here and abroad touch so many lives, in so many ways. Our goal with this book has been, and remains, to discuss these problems, their origins, and their possible solutions in a clear, practical, straightforward fashion that brings the material to life for students. We invite faculty and students alike to join the authors' in traveling along criminology's path, exploring its expanding boundaries, and mapping out its future"--

"This volume is intentionally far from representing an attempt at exhaustive discussion, or even complete cataloging, of the data of criminology. The book differs from others in the general field in that it is, from first to last, an attempt at a psychologic approach. But it does not emphasize criminal-personality characteristics that were "before the world was." On the other hand the author believes that this personality is at least as much a product of social contacts as is the professional disposition of the physician, e.g. The acquired attitudes, he believes, are probably the greatest sources of our behavior whether it be making professional visits upon the sick or robbing banks. These attitudes develop out of infinitely numerous reactions to our environment; reactions that are facilitated or retarded by reason of our native capacities, our prepotent reflexes, etc. Whatever agencies are set up, therefore, for dealing with the criminal must be examined as to their merits by reference to their suitability for developing appropriate attitudes among criminals and all others who come into contact with these agencies"--Preface. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved).

Cover -- Title -- Copyright -- Contents -- Detailed contents -- Part 1 Understanding crime and criminology -- 1 Understanding crime and criminology -- What is criminology? -- An interdisciplinary subject -- Defining criminology -- Understanding crime -- Crime and the criminal law -- Crime as a social construct -- Historical variation -- Criminology in Britain -- Further reading -- 2 Crime and punishment in history -- Introduction -- Emergence of a modern criminal justice system -- Policing -- The 'new police' -- Resistance and reform -- Into the twentieth century -- The victim and prosecution -- Formalisation of the prosecution process -- The courts -- Decline of the profit motive -- Punishment -- Capital punishment -- Transportation -- Imprisonment -- Probation -- Crime and violence in history -- Levels of crime -- Perceptions of crime -- Questions for further discussion -- Further reading -- Websites -- 3 Crime data and crime trends -- Introduction -- Measuring crime -- Official statistics -- England and Wales: Criminal Statistics -- United States: Uniform Crime Reports -- Assessing official statistics -- Impact of legislation -- Understanding 'attrition' -- Limitations of official statistics -- Victimisation surveys -- The Crime Survey for England and Wales -- Local crime surveys -- Other victimisation surveys -- Assessing victimisation surveys -- Comparing official statistics and victimisation surveys -- Crime trends -- Data on offenders -- Self-report studies -- Assessing the self-report method -- Questions for further discussion -- Further reading -- Websites -- 4 Crime and the media -- Introduction -- Academic study of the media -- Media representations of crime -- Newsworthiness -- The crime content in the media -- Violent crime in the news -- Are the media criminogenic? -- Media effects -- Media and fear of crime -- Moral panics

There is growing recognition in criminology and social work of the importance of Indigenous knowledges and methodologies. Yet to date there have been limited attempts (particularly in criminology and criminal justice social work) to consider the theoretical and practice implications of Indigenous understandings and approaches to these disciplines. Both disciplines have also been slow to recognise the importance of understanding the way in which colonial effects are perpetuated through knowledge control, particularly in the operation of criminal justice systems. Our paper thus begins by examining the historical and institutional factors that have contributed to the continuing subjugation of Indigenous knowledges and methodologies. A discussion of the connections between the hegemony of Western science, the construction of race, and the colonial project follows. While herein Western and Indigenous approaches are conceptualised broadly, the dangers of over-simplifying these categories is also acknowledged. The paper proceeds by examining the distinctive character of each approach through a consideration of their ontological, epistemological, axiological, and methodological differences. Whilst acknowledging the considerable challenges which arise in any attempt to develop connections between these differing worldviews, a pathway forward for understanding both theoretically and methodologically the relationship between Western and Indigenous approaches is proposed.