Crime and Criminal Behavior delves into such hotly debated topics as age of consent, euthanasia and assisted suicide, gambling, guns, internet pornography, marijuana and other drug laws, religious convictions, and terrorism and extremism. From using a faking I.D. to assaulting one′s domestic partner to driving drunk, a vast array of behaviors fit into the definition of criminal. The authors of these 20 chapters examine the historical contexts of each topic and offer arguments both for and against the ways in which legislators and courts have defined and responded to criminal behaviors, addressing the sometimes complex policy considerations involved. Sensitive subjects such as hate crimes are addressed, as are crimes carried out by large groups or states, including war crime and corporate crime. This volume also considers crimes that are difficult to prosecute, such as Internet crime and intellectual property crime, and crimes about which there is disagreement as to whether the behavior harms society or the individual involved (gun control and euthanasia, for example). The Series The five brief, issues-based books in SAGE Reference′s Key Issues in Crime & Punishment Series offer examinations of controversial programs, practices, problems or issues from varied perspectives. Volumes correspond to the five central subfields in the Criminal Justice curriculum: Crime & Criminal Behavior, Policing, The Courts, Corrections, and Juvenile Justice. Each volume consists of approximately 20 chapters offering succinct pro/con examinations, and Recommended Readings conclude each chapter, highlighting different approaches to or perspectives on the issue at hand. As a set, these volumes provide perfect reference support for students writing position papers in undergraduate courses spanning the Criminal Justice curriculum. Each title is approximately 350 pages in length.

Criminal Behavior explores crime as a developmental process from birth through early adulthood. It further examines the role that legal, political, and criminal justice systems play in the development of criminal behavior.

This textbook provides an interdisciplinary overview of theories of crime, explanations of how and why criminal typologies are developed, literature reviews for each of the major crime catagories, and discussions of how theories of crime are used at different stages of the criminal justice process.

This lauded bestseller, now available in paperback, takes an uncompromising look at how we define psychopathology and makes the argument that criminal behavior can and perhaps should be considered a disorder. Presenting sociological, genetic, neurochemical, brain-imaging, and psychophysiological evidence, it discusses the basis for criminal behavior and suggests, contrary to popular belief, that such behavior may be more biologically determined than previously thought. Presents a new conceptual approach to understanding crime as a disorder Provides the most extensive review of biological predispositions to criminal behavior to date Presents the practical implications of viewing crime as a psychopathology in the contexts of free will, punishment, treatment, and future biosocial research Includes numerous tables and figures throughout Contains an extensive reference list Analyzes the familial and extra-familial causes of crime Reviews the predispositions to crime including evolution and genetics, and the neuropsychological, psychophysiological, brain-imaging, neurochemical, and cognitive factors

This book focuses on the importance of incorporating both sociological and psychological viewpoints in the understanding of criminal behavior. It identifies and explains emerging criminal offenders within the criminal justice system, examining the individual differences that make different types of offenders unique.

In this book, Chapter One begins with a discussion on the use of dogs in the courtroom. Chapter Two explores the research on the criminal narratives of general offending populations, and introduces new insight into Mentally Disordered Offenders (MDOs), and the impact various mental disorders may have on the structure of criminal narratives. Chapter Three critically examines the link between personality disorders and violent offending, and raises several issues that have obscured its nature. Chapter Four reviews the status of Life Course Persistent Antisocial Behavior, as well as its importance for providing future directions for the study of crime and criminal behavior in the next half century. Chapter Five reviews the nature and causes of quality-of-life crime, the indicators for measuring or benchmarking the extent of quality-of-life crime, the development of the Quality-of-Life Crime Index (QLCI), and the practical, policy and research implications of this index. Chapter Six analyses taxi driver's everyday security practices in their networks and nodes, calling attention to their conception of space and their risk management techniques.

This book focuses on the importance of incorporating both sociological and psychological viewpoints in the understanding of criminal behavior. It identifies and explains emerging criminal offenders within the criminal justice system, examining the individual differences that make different types of offenders unique.