NCJ Number
183062
Editor(s)
Richard C. Monk
Date Published
1998
Length
383 pages
Annotation
This volume contains 38 essays on 19 different issues in crime and criminology presented in a pro and con format.
Abstract
The issues are arranged in four broad topical areas that touch on some of the most important aspects of criminology and criminal justice: (1) crime: definitions and causes; (2) race, gender, youth, and the criminal justice system; (3) criminological research and public policy; and (4) future trends. Specific topics in the first section area deal with the functionality of crime, whether rap music contributes to violent crime, whether intelligence quotient contributes to crime, whether street crime is more serious than white-collar crime, and the usefulness of general crime theories. The second section addresses whether the Federal Government should have a major role in reducing juvenile crime, dangers of Internet child pornography, sex offender laws, whether arresting batterers does more harm than good, whether blacks are helped by the drug war, and whether jury nullification should be used to reduce ethnic and racial inequities. The third section covers capital punishment, three strikes legislation, and the use of partial identifications in police lineups. The final section focuses on gun control, euthanasia, whether increased crime control makes cities safer, whether human rights are basic to justice, and whether the international drug war encourages human rights violations. References, notes, and tables