Anyone living or working in a city has feared or experienced street crime at one time or another; whether it be a mugging, purse snatching, or a more violent crime. In the U.S., street crime has recently hovered near historic lows; hence, the declaration of certain analysts that street life in America has never been safer. But is it really? Street crime has changed over past decades, especially with the advent of surveillance cameras in public places—the territory of the street criminal—but at the same time, criminals have found ways to adapt. This encyclopedic reference focuses primarily on urban lifestyle and its associated crimes, ranging from burglary to drug peddling to murder to new, more sophisticated forms of street crime and scams. This traditional A-to-Z reference has significant coverage of police and courts and other criminal justice sub-disciplines while also featuring thematic articles on the sociology of street crime. Features & Benefits: 175 signed entries within a single volume in print and electronic formats provide in-depth coverage to the topic of street crime in America. Cross-References and Suggestions for Further Readings guide readers to additional resources. Entries are supported by vivid photos and illustrations to better bring the material alive. A thematic Reader's Guide groups related entries by broad topic areas and, within the electronic version, combines with Cross-References and a detailed Index for convenient search-and-browse capabilities. A Chronology provides readers with a historical perspective of street crime in America. Appendices provide sources of data and statistics, annotated to highlight their relevance.

Accessible and jargon-free and available in both print and electronic formats, the one-volume Encyclopedia of Transnational Crime and Justice contains a range of up-to-date entries that not only reflect transnational crime, but transnational justice.

The Encyclopedia of Murder and Violent Crime is edited by a internationally recognized expert on serial killers, covering both murder and violent crime in their variant forms. Included will be biographies, chronologies, special interest inset boxes, up to 100 photos, comprehensive article bibliographies, and appendices for things like famous unsolved cases, celebrity murders, assasinations, original source documents, and online sources for information.

Click ′Additional Materials′ for downloadable samples Although there is a plethora of studies on crime and punishment, law enforcement is a relatively new field of serious research. When courts, sentencing, prisons, jails, and other areas of the criminal justice system are studied, often the first point of entry into the system is through police and law enforcement agencies. Unfortunately, understanding of the important issues in law enforcement has little general literature to draw on. Currently available reference works on policing are narrowly focused and sorely out-of-date. To this end, a distinguished roster of authors, representing many years of knowledge and practice in the field, draw on the latest research and methods to delineate, describe, and analyze all areas of law enforcement. This three-volume Encyclopedia of Law Enforcement provides a comprehensive, critical, and descriptive examination of all facets of law enforcement on the state and local, federal and national, and international stages. This work is a unique reference source that provides readers with informed discussions on the practice and theory of policing in an historical and contemporary framework. The volumes treat subjects that are particular to the area of state and local, federal and national, and international policing. Many of the themes and issues of policing cut across disciplinary borders, however, and several entries provide comparative information that places the subject in context. Key Features • Three volumes cover state and local, federal, and international law enforcement • More than 250 contributors composed over 400 essays on all facets of law enforcement • An editorial board made up of the leading scholars, researchers, and practitioners in the field of law enforcement • Descriptions of United States Federal Agency law enforcement components • Comprehensive and inclusive coverage, exploring concepts and social and legal patterns within the larger topical concern • Global, multidisciplinary analysis Key Themes • Agencies, Associations, and Organizations • Civilian/Private Involvement • Communications • Crime Statistics • Culture/Media • Drug Enforcement • Federal Agencies/Organizations • International • Investigation, Techniques • Types of Investigation • Investigative Commissions • Law and Justice • Legislation/Legal Issues • Military • Minority Issues • Personnel Issues • Police Conduct • Police Procedure • Policing Strategies • Safety and Security • Specialized Law Enforcement Agencies • Tactics • Terrorism • Victims/Witnesses Editors Marie Simonetti Rosen Dorothy Moses Schulz M. R. Haberfeld John Jay College of Criminal Justice Editorial Board Geoffrey Alpert, University of South Carolina Thomas Feltes, University of Applied Police Sciences, Spaichingen, Germany Lorie A. Fridell, Police Executive Research Forum, Washington, DC James J. Fyfe, John Jay College of Criminal Justice David T. Johnson, University of Hawaii at Manoa Peter K. Manning, Northeastern University Stephen D. Mastrofski, George Mason University Rob Mawby, University of Plymouth, U.K. Mark Moore, Harvard University Maurice Punch, London School of Economics, U.K. Wesley G. Skogan, Northwestern University

"Authoritative and comprehensive, this multivolume set includes hundreds of articles in the field of criminal justice. Impressive arrays of authors have contributed to this resource, addressing such diverse topics as racial profiling, money laundering, torture, prisoner literature, the KGB, and Sing Sing. Written in an accessible manner and attractively presented, the background discussions, definitions, and explanations of important issues and future trends are absorbing. Interesting sidebars and facts,reference lists, relevant court cases, tables, and black-and-white photographs supplement the entries. Appendixes cover careers in criminal justice, Web resources, and professional organizations. A lengthy bibliography lists relevant works."--"The Best of the Best Reference Sources," American Libraries, May 2003.