Read more
Explore the world of crime and punishment
Police, forensics, and detective stories dominate our TV screens and bookshelves--from fictional portrayals such as Silence of the Lambs and Law and Order to lurid accounts of real-life super-criminals like Pablo Escobar and Al Capone. As well as being horribly fascinating, knowledge of what makes criminals tick is crucial to governments, who spend billions of dollars each year trying to keep their people safe. Criminology brings disciplines like psychology, biology, and economics together to help police and society solve crimes--and to prevent them before they even happen.
The new edition of Criminology For Dummies shines a light into the dark recesses of the criminal mind and goes behind-the-scenes with society's response to crime, putting you right on the mean streets with cops and criminals alike. Along the way, you'll learn everything a rookie needs to survive, including basic definitions of what a crime is and how it's measured; common criminal motivations, thinking, and traits; elementary crime-solving techniques; the effects on and rights of victims; and more.
* Understand types of crime, from white-collar to organized to terror attacks
* Follow law-enforcement officials and agencies as they hunt the bad guys
* Meet key players in criminal justice and see how and why the guilty are punished
* Check out jobs in the field
Whether you plan to enter the criminal justice field or just want to know more about what turns some people to the dark side--and how the thin blue line fights back--this is your perfect guide to criminology basics.
List of contents
Introduction 1
Part 1: Defining and Measuring Crime 5
Chapter 1: Entering the World of Crime 7
Chapter 2: What Is Crime? 21
Chapter 3: How Crime Is Measured and Why It Matters 33
Chapter 4: Helping Those in the Wake of Crime: Victims 45
Part 2: Identifying Types of Crime 57
Chapter 5: Getting Violent: Crimes of Force 59
Chapter 6: Hitting You in the Pocketbook: Property Crimes 79
Chapter 7: Dressing Sharp and Stealing Big: White-Collar Crimes 93
Chapter 8: A Group Effort: Organized Crime and Gangs 107
Chapter 9: Tackling a Worldwide Problem: The Narcotics Trade 131
Chapter 10: Front-Page News: Terrorism 147
Part 3: Figuring Out Who Commits Crimes and Why 161
Chapter 11: What Factors Lead to Crime? 163
Chapter 12: Regarding Crime as a Rational Decision: Rational Choice Theory 179
Chapter 13: Looking at Society's Role in Crime 193
Chapter 14: Can Your Mind or Body Make You a Criminal? 203
Chapter 15: Critical Criminology: Theories off the Beaten Path 213
Part 4: Fighting Crime 223
Chapter 16: Battling Crime at the Local Level 225
Chapter 17: Tackling Crime at the Federal Level 241
Chapter 18: Solving Crimes: The Process 253
Part 5: Prosecuting and Punishing Crime 273
Chapter 19: Seeking Justice in Court: The Players and Their Roles 275
Chapter 20: Finding the Truth: Pleading Guilty or Going to Trial 293
Chapter 21: Punishing the Guilty: Why and How Society Does It 313
Chapter 22: Examining the Juvenile Justice System 339
Part 6: The Part of Tens 351
Chapter 23: Ten Jobs to Consider in Criminal Justice 353
Chapter 24: Ten Notorious, Unsolved Crimes 365
Index 377
About the author
Steven Briggs is a nationally recognized expert on crime. He has worked in the judicial and executive branches of government, prosecuted cases at the local, state, and federal level, and run a statewide law enforcement agency. He has lectured internationally on a variety of criminal justice topics, and in his spare time is an award-winning writer of crime fiction.
