It started with Cain and Abel, and it won't end with the Sopranos. Our fascination with transgression and its punishment is universal. And now, from Sage - the publisher of criminal justice abstracts and other standards in the field - comes the ultimate reference source on this all-consuming subject: comprehensive, authoritative, up-to-the second. Comprehensive and balanced coverage of: Concepts and theories Correction Law Crimes Methods and statistics National surveys Organizations Police science Social and cultural context Features and benefits: - 100% original content - Broader, more up-to-date coverage than any other source on the market 275 Contributors 425 Signed entries 150 Illustrations Prestigious advisory board overseeing quality 1.5 million words 250 sidebars offering key primary source documents 100 "factoids," spotlighting important, and sometimes startling, information. International coverage, with focus on the contemporary United States.

This two-volume set is designed to serve as a reference source for anyone interested in the roots of contemporary criminological theory. Drawing together a team of international scholars, it examines the global landscape of all the key theories and the theorists behind them, presenting them in a context needed to understand their strengths and weaknesses. The work provides essays on cutting-edge research as well as concise, to-the-point definitions of key concepts, ideas, schools, and figures. Topics include contexts and concepts in criminological theory, the social construction of crime, policy implications of theory, diversity and intercultural contexts, conflict theory, rational choice theories, conservative criminology, feminist theory, and more.

In many ways, the two fields of victimology and crime prevention have developed along parallel yet separate paths, and the literature on both has been scattered across disciplines as varied as sociology, law and criminology, public health and medicine, political science and public policy, economics, psychology and human services, and others. The Encyclopedia of Victimology and Crime Prevention brings together in one authoritative resource the dispersed information and knowledge on both victimology and crime prevention. With nearly 375 entries, this two-volume set moves victimology and crime prevention one step further into recognized scholarly fields whose research informs practice and whose practice informs research. Key Features: provides users with the most authoritative and comprehensive coverage available on victimology and crime prevention; presents victimology and crime prevention as their own separate, justifiable disciplines rather than subfields within more established disciplines; discusses the status of victims within the criminal justice system, as well as topics of deterring and preventing victimization in the first place and responding to victims' needs.