From Library Journal
- Ina M. Wise, Daley Community Coll. Lib., Chicago
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
This volume, as the author states, "is an album of snapshots of the places where violence enters everyday life in late 20th-century America." The author, whose credentials are not in the field of crime or criminal justice, was ill prepared to cover such a broad subject. DiCanio's entries, although packed with statistical information, suffer three main shortcomings: none has bibliographies or cited sources (outside the text) for follow-up inquiry or research; many have nothing in common with the topic of violence (e.g., Civil Forfeiture or Money Laundering); and many more do not explain their association with violence (e.g., Children's Rights, and Early Release from Prison).
Her research is also slanted by geographic restrictions (e.g., newspapers for Boston and New York are quoted extensively, but not those from the rest of the country). Her entry titles are sometimes confusing. Her best review of jails and prisons is contained under Prison Officer's Code of Solidarity, and within this entry she fails to mention a prime work in this field, The Hate Factory, by W. G. Stone. DiCanio also fails to cite this work in her general bibliography at the end of the volume; also missing is the seminal two-volume work, Violence in America, edited by Gurr, now in its third edition (1989).
Within the text are no separate listings for violence in the workplace, racism and violence, political violence, or the thesis of the southern subculture of violence, although with her confusing titling of entries there may be some information on these subjects elsewhere within the text. These topics are not mentioned in the index.
Following the text are three appendixes that do a nice job in considering the different factions of organized crime, including the Triads and Yakuzas, and a listing with annotations of organizations for prevention and victims of abuse and violence.
Although the volume is written for the general reader and is the only encyclopedia on violence, it is not recommended for purchase.
