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This three-volume work offers a comprehensive review of the pivotal concepts, measures, theories, and practices that comprise criminology and criminal justice.No longer just a subtopic of sociology, criminology has become an independent academic field of study that incorporates scholarship from numerous disciplines including psychology, political science, behavioral science, law, economics, public health, family studies, social work, and many others. The three-volume Encyclopedia of Criminology presents the latest research as well as the traditional topics which reflect the field's multidiscip

Although numerous studies recently have appeared that identify the most-cited scholars and works in the general criminology and criminal justice literature and in several specialty areas, no previous citation study has specifically examined the corrections literature. Through an analysis of 209 articles and research notes appearing from 1992 to 1996 in the area of corrections, the authors list the 50 most-cited scholars and the 25 most-cited works. The lists of the most-cited scholars and works in corrections are compared to general lists taken from leading criminology and criminal justice journals and introductory textbooks. The authors' analysis uncovers certain citation trends relating to pivotal controversies in correctional research.

A primary threat to the operative effectiveness of drug courts is high failure rates. Empirically supported screening devices could aid drug court administrators in maximizing resources, either through client selection or by helping to target problem clients in need of specialized assistance. Drawing from South Carolina county-level drug court records, success rates for participants with particular background characteristics were examined to identify correlations contributing to drug court success. Risk factors for drug court members were identified using chi-square and discriminant function analysis. Recidivism, crack as drug of choice, existence of criminality before drug use, and prior drug treatment were significantly related to drug court failure. These variables, as well as social stability variables, are argued to be vital elements in screening mechanisms.

This article addresses what many observers of Texas' prison gangs perceive as significant changes in the hierarchical structure of various Latino groups. Focusing on the state's central and eastern regions, we provide a brief historical context and overview of contemporaneous gang factions. We attempt to understand gang dynamics as a function of emerging demographic patterns in the prison population. Examining prison admissions trends for males from Texas' four largest counties, we illustrate ongoing changes in race-age composition for these metropolitan areas that reinforce depictions of changing gang structure in unofficial reports, print media, and prison documentaries. We emphasize the need for multimethod approaches and analyses of the United States–Mexico Border region for a more complete view of the Texas gang landscape.

Although evaluation has become a common component of substance abuse treatment programs in correctional settings, few evaluation designs use a mixed-methodological approach and even fewer incorporate participant interviews in the data collection process. This oversight is problematic for a number of reasons, one of which is the uniquely disadvantaged position of the subjects under study (i.e., prisoners). Using data from an evaluation of an in-prison alcohol treatment program, this article illustrates the utility of the qualitative interview in correctional research. Findings suggest that interviews are capable of providing information otherwise inaccessible through quantitative designs and identifying process and management barriers to optimal program operation. Discussion centers on implications for policy and practice enhancement.