Fundamentals of Criminology

The second edition of Fundamentals of Criminology: New Dimensions delivers a comprehensive and comprehensible introduction to the discipline of criminology. As the title implies, it covers the fundamentals of criminology, including the major theories of crime causation, classic and current empirical tests of those theories, and the strengths and weaknesses and policy implications of each. It also explores victimology, describes types of crime, and provides current crime rates, trends over time, and theoretical explanations, as well as exploring connections between criminology and criminal justice policy and a number of lingering issues for both disciplines. What sets this book apart from the many other fine criminology textbooks out there is its inclusion of some new dimensions for the discipline. The new dimensions in this edition include an updated list of facts about crime, expanded theories of victimization, the new definition of rape from the FBI, rape and sexual assault on campus, the misuse of prescription drugs, and, perhaps most exciting, an entirely new chapter on crime in specific contexts and emerging criminologies. In combination with the fundamentals, these new dimensions are designed to provide readers with the richest, most complete understanding of what crime is, how much of it there is, what causes it, and what do to about it, as well as the ability and desire to pose important questions for the future of both criminology and criminal justice.