Product Description
Despite the popular perception that genetic explanations of the causes of crime are new, biological determinism is an idea that dates back to the birth of criminology. This is largely due to the efforts of Cesare Lombroso, widely regarded as the father of modern criminology. His 1876 work, Criminal Man, drew on Darwin to propose that most lawbreakers were throwbacks to a more primitive level of human evolution--identifiable by their physical traits, such as small heads, flat noses, large ears, and the like. These "born criminals" could not escape their biological destiny. The "scientific" appeal of these theories of what Lombroso called criminal anthropology had a powerful and long-lasting influence in contemporary Italy, Europe, and the Western world as a whole, and even today the stereotypes they created resonate in popular culture. Lombroso's influential ideas are explored in this provocative new book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

great book
If your interested in this guys theories, you can use them as good or bad examples in almost any paper. after 7 years of college, I still use this guy in papers atleast once a semester... ... Read more

Product Description
Adolescence is popularly understood as a transitional phase of turbulence and extremes. It is also often associated with "trouble". Criminal justice statistics, however, reveal that youth criminality remains a relatively rare phenomenon, less than one per cent of the total adolescent population in any given year. This book is based upon a major Australian research programme to consider the key social factors impacting upon the lives of young people. A sample of 1300 young people was divided into three major subgroups: a "control" group, drawn from state secondary schools and closely approximating the general population; a chronically marginalized cohort representing a "vulnerable group", and a group of offenders, most of whom were incarcerated at the time of the research. ... Read more

Product Description
In his theory of criminal behaviour, Mark Colvin argues that chronic criminals emerge from a developmental process characterized by recurring, erratic episodes of coercion. Colvin's differential coercion theory, which integrates several existing criminological perspectives, lays out a compelling argument that coercive forces create social and psychological dynamics that lead to chronic criminal behaviour. While Colvin's presentation focuses primarily on chronic street criminals, the theory is also applied to exploratory offenders and white collar criminals. In addition, Colvin presents a critique of current crime control measures, which rely heavily on coercion, and offers in their place a comprehensive crime reduction programme based on consistent, non-coercive practices. ... Read more

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What is it about crime that makes it `men's work'? Can we imagine masculinity without crime? This is the first book of its kind to bring contributors from three continents together to examine the relationship between masculinity and crime. Covering such areas as policing, prisons, violence against women, homicide, white-collar crime, and male victimisation, this book will force us to rethink many aspects of masculinity and crime. ... Read more

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Ideal for use, either as a second text in a standard criminology course, or for a discrete course on biosocial perspectives, this book of original chapters breaks new and important ground for ways today's criminologists need to think more broadly about the crime problem. ... Read more

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This book profiles biological approaches to understanding why some people are criminals and others not. The book, written by internationally recognized behavioral geneticist David C. Rowe, offers instructors and students a brief, contemporary presentation of biological approaches to crime with a minimum of jargon. (A background in the biological sciences is not required.)

Boxes highlight special topics and examples drawn from newspaper stories to spark student interest.

Chapters cover:

Behavioral genetics

Evolutionary approaches to crime

Biological tests for criminal disposition

The human genome and crime

The environment and crime

Ethical and policy implications

This book will enrich students' appreciation of the nexus of biology and crime - without negating non-biological theories of crime. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

So-S0
Good summary of evolutionary theory, but only refers to some of his own theories without full explanation as though the reader will know his theories.Evolutionary theory takes enormous leaps from data to theory to conclusion.

Most readable book on biology of crime
This is a must have book for anyone interested in the subject of biology, genetics and crime.Dr. Rowe has published some of the most erudite papers on behavioral genetics in peer-reviewed publications, and I was looking for a book that I could recommend to people who attend my workshops on the subject for greater detail than can be covered in a day on all the aspects of violence, crime, and antisocial behavior.This book fills the bill.It is exceedlingly well written-crisp, and not too technical.The book will give you a good understanding of the subject without running to a medical dictionary every sentence, yet it is grounded in solid science.It is a good book even for someone who is very familiar with the literature, because it creates a good organizing structure for theory and research. Dr. Rowe has left a legacy in this book. ... Read more

Product Description
This brief book provides an overview of general strain theory (GST), one of the leading explanations of crime and delinquency, developed by author Robert Agnew. Written to be student-friendly, "Pressured into Crime" features numerous real-world examples, insightful and colorful quotes from former and active criminals, clear summaries of major points, and challenging review and discussion questions at the end of each chapter.This book provides the following: it compares and contrasts GST to other leading theories of crime, including biopsychological, control, social learning, routine activities, and social disorganization theories (presenting brief descriptions of these theories); it describes the evidence on GST, including the most current research on the types of strains most likely to cause crime, why these strains cause crime, and the factors that influence the effects of strains on crime; it employs GST to explain patterns of offending over the life course as well as age, gender, class, and race/ethnic differences in offending; it uses GST to explain community and societal differences in crime rates; it draws on GST to make recommendations for reducing crime; and, it revises and extends GST to take into account the latest research findings. "Pressured into Crime" allows students to explore this major theory in depth - reviewing the research on the theory, comparing it to other theories, and applying the theory to key issues in the study of crime. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Great Overview of General Strain Theory
Pressured Into Crime is a great overview of general strain theory - one of the more popular contemporary criminological theories out there.If you are writing a paper on GST, or want to better understand why some people commit crime, you need to read this book.Also, disregard the earlier review by "crimbookexpert" that suggested that this is about social bonding theory or that this book is the original source of Hirschi's social bonding theory. IT IS NOT.Great book though.

Social Bond Theory
This book is an excellent source (and the ORIGINAL) source of Hirschi's Social Bond(ing) Theory.The original print date was 1969, although this new edition has an excellent introduction by Hirschi himself which brings some new insight into how this theory came about. ... Read more

Product Description
This book presents a comprehensive overview of anti-social behavior prevention programs in pregnancy and infancy, pre-school, parent education and school programs (including the prevention of bullying). It emphasizes preventing the intergenerational transmission of antisocial behavior by focusing on family violence. It reviews whether risk factors and prevention programs have different effects on females as compared to males. Cost-benefit analyses of early prevention programs conclude that adult antisocial behavior can be counteracted effectively and cost-efficiently. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Very good look at different contributing factors of human behavior.
This book is an excellent and informative review of research that is concerned with criminal behavior.Instead of your normal economic and/or social explanations, this text goes in a different direction.It primarily looks at genetic, biological, and related social impacts that may contribute to criminal behavior.It does not attempt to explain antisocial behavior as the product of a "criminal gene" or psychological illness, but explores how certain underlying conditions such as mental illness, learning disabilities, poor nutrition, ADHD, etc, can impact the socialization process and increase the possibility of later antisocial behavior.It also looks at various programs that may be useful in preventing antisocial & criminal behavior.

The only reason I give this 4 stars is because it has two full copies of another book "Recipes for Desire" bound into the front of the book.Not a big deal, but it adds quite a bit of thickness to the book, which is a pain when you are packing it around with other books. ... Read more

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Richard Rhodes, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Making of the Atomic Bomb, brings his inimitable vision, exhaustive research, and mesmerizing prose to this timely book that dissects violence and offers new solutions to the age old problem of why people kill.

Lonnie Athens was raised by a brutally domineering father.Defying all odds, Athens became a groundbreaking criminologist who turned his scholar's eye to the problem of why people become violent.After a decade of interviewing several hundred violent convicts--men and women of varied background and ethnicity, he discovered "violentization," the four-stage process by which almost any human being can evolve into someone who will assault, rape, or murder another human being.Why They Kill is a riveting biography of Athens and a judicious critique of his seminal work, as well as an unflinching investigation into the history of violence. Amazon.com Review
In Why They Kill, Pulitzer Prize winner Richard Rhodestraces the life and career of criminologist Lonnie Athens, a man whotook his own sad and squalid life and turned it on its head to make agroundbreaking career as a criminologist. Athens grew up in a violent,angry world. Rather than absorbing the sickness and violence aroundhim, though, he studied it, and eventually developed a theory abouthow violent criminals are created. Rhodes's critical examination ofAthens's work forces readers to consider how violent our societyreally is, how it became that way, and what might be done to changeit. When applied to well-known criminals such as Michael Tyson and LeeHarvey Oswald, Athens's ideas become concrete and take on an urgenttone: it's easy to discuss theories and predictors in the abstract,but these stories are real, and they repeat themselves in our societyat an alarming rate. Rhodes's approach to this disturbing subjectstands apart from many other crime books in its intelligence,humanity, and empathy. These are not just descriptions of "scumbags"and their brutal crimes, but intensely personal stories that revealhow a culture of violence propagates itself. --Lisa Higgins ... Read more

Customer Reviews (37)

This will fascinate you
Rhodes follows the career of a "maverick criminologist" named Lonnie Athens, who developed a theory that can explain how persons develop the capacity to kill.Inspired by his own experiences as a child victim of domestic and neighborhood violence, and too small to successfully emulate the models of violence he has known, he goes to college and studies sociology and criminology, then begins interviewing prison inmates who have committed violent crimes including murder.He detects a pattern and develops a theory he calls violentization that identifies four stages in the development of the capacity to kill.The book then analyzes a number of well-known murderers using the theory.This was a hard book to put down.

Gives a human face to violence
This book is fantastic.Technically accurate, but at the same time a good read.Had this book existed in the late 70s, when I was a sociology undergrad, I am certain it would have changed my career trajectory.A combination of a fascinating biography of criminologist Lonnie Athens, an excellent primer on some pretty advanced sociological and research topics, and a highly accessible summary of Dr. Athens' remarkable research, this book is a "must read" for anyone who wants to really understand the context of violent and homicidal behavior. Athens goes beyond the sterile statistical research that seemed to define sociology in the 70s (and to the present in some venues), and gives a human face to those we fear the most.Rhodes takes that research and its findings, and "brings it home."

An Almost Excellent Biography of An Unsung Hero!
Lonnie Athens is not as familiar as some criminologists. His own experiences as an abused child in an abusive environment such as Richmond, Virginia, Washington D.C., and even Florida where he spent his formative years before going to Virginia Polytechnic Institute where the most deadly form of violence took place by one of it's own students before going to the University of Wisconsin to further his study of criminal science and finally at the University of California in Berkeley. To interview inmates, it wasn't easy because of the bureaucracy. They are after all in correctional facilities and I would think Lonnie's interest in studying them would be useful in understanding the science of crime. The book begins strong but slows along the way with too much information. I agree Lonnie's studies are invaluable because he is trying to to do what so many criminologists fail to see as the origin of a criminal's psyche. Where did they go wrong in life to become murderers and violent criminals? Not all of his subjects have murdered but have raped and assaulted others and even studies women. Unfortunately, Lonnie is seen as an enemy by the corrections officers rather than an ally for whatever reason. Lonnie doesn't pass judgment on these criminals that society has taken and thrown away in concrete jungles where they are never really corrected. Lonnie's own history with violence including his violent, abusive father who abused and battered his wife and children helps him understand as well as other experiences of violence. The environmental surroundings can have an impact but who of us hasn't been in a violent environment whether it's our home or school. Lonnie is very understanding to a degree because he wants to know why and not just what happened. A rapist details how he heard his mother crying for her husband to stop having sex with her because of the pain. Sex is a common theme among the violence and often intertwines with one another in the criminal psyche. Many of the violent criminals need to be studied rather than locked up forever. By locking them up and throwing away the key, we are already treating them like the discarded garbage that many of them feel in the first place to cause such crimes against another human being. Everything including actions and words can affect a child's psychological well-being. We may never understand how people become human monsters fully but we must try in order for prevention.

Why They Kill: The Discoveries of a Maverick Criminologist
Rhodes demonstrates the ability to break down and make alive Criminologist Lonnie Athens' theory of violentization.His use of well known violent indviduals and how they fall into this refinement of social learnig theory make a clear and strong argument to think about the theorist stages that lead to violent behavior. If you seek to know more about possible methods to promote a less volent world prehaps facing this tale will be productive.

First half fails, second half outstanding
The author's overall message is an astounding exploration of the criminal mind and how they become violent, and end up killing. The reviews and synopsis of the book are great... However, the first half of the book, about 170 pages, drag the reader along Lonnie Athens' (a criminologist) life. It tells of his schooling and how he made his studies. These 170 pages could have been boiled down to about 25. However, the second half of the book, where it takes an in depth look as some of Athens' findings about violentization are outstanding. I was dissapointed at first, but was engulfed by his message in the second half of the book. The book however explores what a college studnet would learn in any criminology or sociology 101 class. That in fact, violentization is what causes people to act the way they do. The author and Athens's just come at the fact in a slightly different manner and deter from the common conceptions of poverty, race, social class, etc and boil it down to simply being exposed to a violent upbringing. Worthwhile to read, but its not a medical breakthrough. ... Read more

Product Description
In recent years the relationship between men, masculinity and crime has assumed increasing visibility and political significance within both the academic discipline of criminology and the public arena.Masculinities, Crime and Criminology presents an innovative and timely reading of issues which are central to the questions that have arisen: Why is crime so overwhelmingly an activity conducted by men?Is crime a `masculine' phenomena?

Richard Collier explores a number of high-profile events and debates around crime, criminal justice and social (dis)order, and examines recent criminological, media and political interpretations of the relationship between men, masculinities and crime.Rejecting the widely held idea that masculinity is `in crisis', the book presents an alternative approach to theorising the `maleness' of crime and calls for a reappraisal of the conceptual tools with which the relationship between masculinities and crime has traditionally been understood.

Drawing on the ideas of corporeality, sexed subjectivities of men - as offenders, victims, agents working within the criminal justice system and as criminologists working within the criminal justice system and as criminologist seeking to explain crime.

Product Description
Everything you need to know to protect yourself and your family--from dead-bolting your door to air travel safety.

Now more than ever, Americans are aware of threats to their personal safety and are searching for ways to protect themselves and their loved ones. Newly updated since the events of September 11 with important information on mail contamination and travel security, The Complete Guide to Personal and Home Safety is the most comprehensive guide on personal and home security available. Captain Snow, a seasoned police officer, guides readers in developing their own safety plans--from how to choose a home alarm system to what to do in the case of a missing person. Covering everything from the most common crimes of larceny and traffic accidents to the unlikely but frightening possibilities of hostage situations and assault, The Complete Guide to Personal and Home Safety offers readers the knowledge and strategies they need to handle any situation that may arise. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Excellent Resource
I'm really glad I bought this book, and will be buying a few more copies to give as gifts to my friends.The book is easy to read, cover-to-cover, and provides tons of credible statistics to support the advice. ... Read more

Product Description
Offender profiling is a technique for constructing psychological profiles of criminals associated with certain types of criminal behaviour. This technique may be used to help in criminal investigation or in supporting a legal case. Offender profiling has become an increasingly popular topic for writers of fiction, newspaper journalists and producers of television documentaries and it is often portrayed as an instant device for solving a crime. In reality this is far from the truth. This book places offender profiling within a more realistic, balanced context. Initial chapters introduce a theoretical, empirical basis for the approach, and are followed by chapters illustrating the pros and cons of its use in an applied, operational setting. The book presents two basic ideas: that offender profiling is not an end in itself, but is purely an instrument for steering an investigation in a particular direction; and that the process of developing a profile depends on a combination of investigative experience together with objective findings from behavioural science research. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

VERY BAD<AND SAD< FAKE REVIEW
Is there a reason for making it so obvious there is no "Bill T"

Correction
In response to the below comment to my book review - I did not have an "out of print" of older edition of the book.

Generally, the book presents an average overview of offender profiling. However, theEditors give credit to the FBI in several passages for the rape model,power assertive, anger retaliatory, etc, but it was in fact Prentky andKnight who first developed this type of rape classification scheme. Also,the book claims to represent researchers' opinions from all around theworld on 'profiling,' however, the fact is, there is not one Americanauthor in the book.

Maurice Godwin PhD --This text refers to an out ofprint or unavailable edition of this title.

A general overview of profiling, but has its weaknesses
Generally, the book presents an average overview of offender profiling. However, the Editors give credit to the FBI in several passages for the rape model, power assertive, anger retaliatory, etc, but it was in factPrentky and Knight who first developed this type of rape classification scheme. Also, the book claims to represent researchers' opinions from all around the world on 'profiling,' however, the fact is, there is not one American author in the book.

Maurice Godwin PhD

A wonderful scholarly work on behavioral profiling.
An excellent read for anyone who is interested in the science of profiling.Contains techniques and approaches that are unique to the field. ... Read more

Product Description
Criminological Theory introduces major theories of crime and criminality, cogently summarizing the chief tenets of theoretical strands current in criminology. It has two unique features: firstly, it emphasizes the social context of theory development, secondly, it makes a link between theoretical notions of crime and changes in social policy concerning crime and criminals.

The book is organized in historical sequence, beginning with early attempts to explain crime through differences in physical or psychological traits. There follows the reframing of crime as a question of social context. The authors then discuss more current developments, such as control theories, labelling and radical conflict theories. In conclusion, recent developments including the return to more conservative, individual-focused explanations of criminal behaviour are discussed.

This book provides undergraduates with a significant understanding of criminological theories, how they develop, and how they help shape crime policy.

Customer Reviews (6)

good book; like new
Good price for an almost brand new book. A panoramic study about multiple criminological theories.

Criminologial Theory
The text book is typical of its type and gives short chapters on each subject.

Good Insight of theories, bad context
To the reviewer who stated ," the slanted views of the writers in favor of conflict theories is too obvious" You are correct. Whenever they put the theory into "context" of the times, it's a joke. Totall biased, and sometimes misleading political commentary to individuals not in the political field.
I had Dr. Lilly as a professor. The pompus jerk makes trite political accusations that would make any Political Science professor laugh. I wouldn't be able to get away with his analysis of the Reagan era in the book in any of my PS classes.

WOULD BUY AGAIN
Item arrived in 4 days from order date, as described, new book, quick, thank you!

social context
The previous reviewer missed the point.Criminological theory should be studied with an appreciation of the social context (i.e., history) in which the theories were developed and extended. ... Read more

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A major contribution to the field of crime/deviance, this volume puts forth an integrated theory of deviance--control balance--a continuation, or temporary culmination, of the collective efforts of crime/deviance scholars who have gone before. ... Read more

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Diana Fishbein, one of the leading scholars and researchers in this field, offers the first comprehensive overview of the major research on interactions between genetic, biological, physiological, psychological, social, and environmental factors influencing criminal behavior. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Much-needed overview
This book provides a much-needed overview of the "biobehavioral" perspective in the study of crime. As the author points out, mainstream criminology relies on sociological theories to "explain" crime, but cannot explain why individuals in identical circumstances nonetheless behave differently. The biobehavioral perspective, compatible with or identical to the biosocial perspective and behavioral ecology, acknowledges the interrelatedness of nature and nurture and gives causal priority to neither. Genes bias, but do not determine, behavior, and the expression of any gene depends upon the environment in which it develops. The biological underpinnings of antisocial behavior, drawn from many recent and sophisticated studies from psychology, behavior genetics, psychobiology, cognitive sciences, and related fields, interact with family, social and other environmental variables to create both psychological and sociological phenomena, including crime and delinquency. This should come as no surprise to anyone who has interactied with children, or tried to change their own behavior while accounting for their own traits. However, much of the biology in this book will be new to readers of mainstream criminology and criminal justice texts, which present the "biological" perspective as an amalgam of Lombroso's discredited claims that criminals are evolutionary throwbacks to more primitive times, and theories such as that involving XYY chromosome mutation that try (and mainly fail) to explain the behavior of a few select offenders. This is an important book for students of crime, as it supplements, but does not supplant, the sociological perspective that dominates criminology. It is short. It can be used in conjunction with a mainstream text or as the basis for a course in the biology or psychology of crime, or can be read on its own by anyone interested in crime or human behavior generally. Two cautions - it is not written in the simple language of many undergraduate textbooks, and is also a bit expensive. ... Read more

Product Description
While print and broadcast media are filled every day with homicide accounts, the general public seems most disturbed by crimes attributed to individuals who otherwise seem "normal." Murders by those perceived to be historically non-violent often appear to erupt with no warning whatsoever. Moffatt argues that certain key predictors of a predisposition to violence are usually present. Citing case studies of workplace, school, and domestic homicides, he debunks the myth that these murders happen "out of the blue." He also includes valuable information on predicting and preventing future tragedies. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Assessing Risk for Homicide
In BLIND-SIDED, Dr. Moffatt offers highly readable and understandable information on assessment of risk for homicide.Dr. Moffatt's work utilizes a hierarchy of risk variables for violent behavior.This twenty-two item list includes factors such as a history of violent or aggressive behavior, subjective fear of the individual by others, and fantasies of violence.His explanation and discussion of these factors is clear and informative.Dr. Moffatt realized that people could be trained to recognize basic warning signs and that they did not need formal training in psychology to provide intervention that could save lives.His work focuses on homicide among people with no apparent violent patterns in their pasts.His work, however, revealed that many of the killers he studied had a history of violence in their pasts but for one reason or another this had not been reported. BLIND-SIDED includes discussion of seven mistakes, from ignoring or failing to respond adequately to threats, to failure to call for help soon enough, that can cost people their lives.We know that this type of tragedy could happen to us.Reading BLIND-SIDED will give us a better understanding of homicide and of how assessing risk for homicide hopefully can help to save our lives and the lives of those we love. ... Read more

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Review of the psychiatric literature on arson and arsonists, for psychiatrists. DNLM: Firesetting Behavior - psychology. ... Read more

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In Making Trouble leading scholars in criminology, sociology, criminal justice, women's studies, and social history explore the mediated cultural dynamics that construct images and understanding of crime, deviance, and control. Contributors examine the intertwined practices of the mass media, criminal justice agencies, political power holders, and criminal and deviant subcultures in producing and consuming contested representations of legality and illegality. In this light, contributors investigate a remarkable range of contemporary controversies, from drug dealing and drug wars, urban "predators," domestic violence, and violent girls to immigrant "yardies," punk uprisings, freight train graffiti, terrorism, and anti-abortion violence. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

An excellent collection of papers
To the delight of some and the utter horror and dismay of others, the field of ural studies has leeched its way into the remotest capillaries of academiclife. Even criminology, a field that, with a few notableexceptions, had been all but abandoned to the path model technicians andthe neo-Liberal "risk" managers, could not, it seems, check the seepage.With this volume, we see that there are at least some folks in thediscipline who think that social constructions, language, the media, andpopular ure actually matter with regard to issues of crime, deviance,and control. "Cultural criminology," the editors declare, is groundedin both "the frameworks of ural studies and postmodernism" as well asbeing "firmly rooted in sociological perspectives"(p.5). I must admit thatI was skeptical that such a rubric could bridge the deepmodernist/postmodernist divide, but found that after reading the openingpages, I was sufficiently intrigued by the prospect.Shrewdly, theseeditors see ural criminology as not trying to "synthesize or subsume"the more contentious variants of ural studies and postmodern theory aswell as the "new" (now quite old) criminology of the 1970s, modernistinteractionist sociology, and critical theory into some kind of amalgam,but rather seek to "...engage them in a critical, multifaceted explorationof ure, deviance, and crime.Linking these diverse intellectualdimensions is an overarching concern with the meaning of deviance, crime,and control" (p.16 emphasis mine). I found their arguments to be persuasiveand compelling and learned quite a bit from their approach. Thiseclectic yet thematically-engaged agenda comes together in this collectionof fourteen interesting papers as well outstanding introductory andconcluding essays by the editors. Making Trouble is an excellent collectionof papers that manages to bring a wide range of topics and approaches underthe conceptually interesting umbrella of ural criminology.Anyoneinterested in some of the more provocative interdisciplinary takes oncrime, deviance, and control will do well to consider this volume.Ihighly recommend it. ... Read more

Product Description
Understanding Violent Crime provides a concise yet thorough and extensive account of the main explanations of violent behavior. It draws upon sociological and psychological perspectives on violence as part of a coherent approach to the study of a phenomenon that raises wide public concern. There is also a focus on the ways in which violence is considered by the criminal justice system. Definitions of the main violent offences, including violent sexual offences, are discussed and some indication of the levels of sentencing in particular cases is provided. The final chapter then considers ways in which offenders are able to confront their violent behaviour within the criminal justice system. Frequent references to the definitions and treatment of violence in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the USA give the book a distinctive comparative perspective. The result is a wide-ranging and essential undergraduate text and a key reference for researchers in the field. ... Read more