Encyclopedia of Crime and Punishment [Hardcover]

David Levinson (Editor), Human Relations Area Files (New Haven) (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 18, 2002 | ISBN-10: 076192258X | ISBN-13: 978-0761922582 | Edition: 1

"The Encyclopedia of Crime and Punishment provides the much-needed practices, policies, and research and will be of interest to students, teachers, and the general reader alike. This work should be on the shelves of all libraries with collections in the social sciences."

Larry E. Sullivan, Ph.D.

Chief Librarian, John Jay College of Criminal Justice

Crime. 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
• Chronology, master bibliography, and general index
• Appendixes: Careers in criminal justice; Professional organizations; Guidance on using the Web to collect accurate information

Encyclopedia of Crime and Punishment covers the waterfront. Entries include:

• Broken windows theory
• Child witness
• Environmental crime
• Interpol
• Media
• Pathology
• Prison industry
• Religion in prison
• Securities fraud
• Spectator violence
• Television
• Victimization
• War crimes
• Wrongful convictions

ADVISORY BOARD

Anita Blowers

University of North Carolina, Charlotte

Eve Buzawa

University of Massachusetts, Lowell

Ric Curtis

John Jay College of Criminal Justice

Harry Dammer

Niagara University

Obi Ebbe

University of Tennessee, Chattanooga

Frank Horvath

Michigan State University

Phyllis Schultze

Rutgers University

Larry Sullivan

John Jay College of Criminal Justice

 

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Citing both the enormous amount of information currently available on crime and increased interest in the topic since September 11, editor Levinson (Encyclopedia of World Cultures, Encyclopedia of World Sport) aims to give readers a comprehensive overview by bringing together material from numerous sources. The encyclopedia's four hefty volumes include 430 signed entries, which are followed by a 'Readers Guide' that helps locating articles on related topics. This guide is often crucial. For example, though the electric chair does not, surprisingly, have its own entry, several articles on it can be accessed through the guide. The encyclopedia covers a wide range of topics, from 'Social, Ethical, and Legal Issues in DNA Testing' to "Illicit Antiquities,' 'What Americans Think About the Mafia,' and 'The Three Deathbringers in Daoism.' Written in a popular style, the work is not overburdened with graphs, statistics, or extraneous facts, which makes it a browser's paradise. Each volume has an appendix, which include 'Careers in Criminal Justice' (Vol. 1), 'Web Resources' (Vol. 2), 'Professional and Scholarly Organizations' (Vol. 3), and 'Selected Bibliography' (Vol. 4). The fourth volume also contains a chronology of event in criminal justice from 1795 B.C.E. to the present era of Sammy the Bull, identity theft, and cybercrime. There is no reference like this; it is impressive and well done, with a quirkiness that keeps you reading. Where interest exists, the encyclopedia should be a worthwhile acquisition. However, the price is steep, so it is recommended with this one reservation for public, school, and correctional facility libraries. Frances Sandiford, formerly with Green Haven Correctional Facility Lib., Stormville, NY
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Closely following the publication of the second edition of Macmillan's Encyclopedia of Crime and Justice [RBB Ap 15 02] comes Sage's encyclopedic look at crime and efforts to control it. Sage's work focuses on the field of criminal justice, while the Macmillan set's primary focus is on criminology. As such, the Sage encyclopedia is more practice oriented and application based, as seen in entries on programs like "Scared Straight"; specific prisons, including Devil's Island and San Quentin; and alternative punishments like boot camps and house arrest.

The 439 signed entries cover 13 major themes: crimes and related behaviors, law and justice, policing, forensics, corrections, victimology, punishment, social and cultural context, international aspects, concepts and theories, research methods and information, organizations and institutions, and special populations. Articles are arranged alphabetically and vary in length from one page for Interpol and Singapore to more than nine pages for Firearms identification and Terrorism. All entries include a list of further readings and in some instances citations to court cases. Most also include a simply written summary paragraph that beginning researchers will find helpful. Many have sidebars (ranging from carjacking security tips to excerpts from novels and court cases), interesting facts presented in "Did You Know . . ." shaded boxes, photographs, drawings, or tables. A "Reader's Guide" groups articles by theme, and appendixes list criminal justice careers, organizations, and Web and print resources.

With entries for Drug millionaires and Women who kill, this work is less scholarly than the Macmillan encyclopedia. It is nonetheless a valuable source for high-school, public, and undergraduate libraries. Students and the general public will find its background discussions, definitions, and explanations of important issues and future trends easy to understand and useful for beginning research in the field of criminal justice. RBB
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 2104 pages
• Publisher: Sage Publications, Inc; 1 edition (March 18, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 076192258X
• ISBN-13: 978-0761922582
• Product Dimensions: 11.4 x 9.7 x 6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #699,193 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars I have concerns about accuracy, January 3, 2011

By 

Rob Dobler - See all my reviews

This review is from: Encyclopedia of Crime and Punishment (Hardcover)

I have not purchased or read this book.

I recently did a Google search about Willie Horton, Google brought up a result of page 748 of the Encyclopedia of Crime and Punishment, volume 4 edited by David Levinson

Under the heading of "Controversies":

"Horton was serving a life-without-parole sentence for first-degree murder when he absconded from a work release program and brutally murdered a young Maryland couple."

As I recalled, Horton committed a rape while on furlough. I checked a number of the other results and they confirmed my recollection, Horton beat a man, raped his fiancee and stole their car. I do not minimize rape but I would place double murder as at least an order of magnitude higher and a significant exaggeration. I realize that this is only one incident, but it is the only time I've encounterd this book and have found it to be inaccurate. In view of the attention paid to Horton at the time, I find it difficult to accept such a serious error of fact in such a well documented case in a reference text. This calls into question the accuracy of the text as a whole and I would have serious doubts about using the book as source material, without verification by other sources.

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