Summary
Contents
“The four authors of this concise volume provide an authoritative introduction to diverse key concepts about crime and its relationship to society. Each chapter starts with a definition (e.g., deviance, social control, normalization), providing readers with the vocabulary and conceptual framework for fully understanding chapter contents... a very good way to expose students and the public (and scholars from outside fields) to definitions, ideas, and theories of crime and society.” - K. Evans, Indiana State University, Choice Key Concepts in Crime and Society offers an authoritative introduction to key issues in the area of crime as it connects to society. By providing critical insight into the key issues within each concept as well as highlighted cross-references to other key concepts, students will be helped to grasp a clear understanding of each of the topics covered and how they relate to broader areas of crime and criminality. The book is divided into three parts: • Understanding Crime and Criminality: introduces topics such as the social construction of crime and deviance, social control, the fear of crime, poverty and exclusion, white collar crime, victims of crime, race/gender and crime. • Types of Crime and Criminality: explores examples including human trafficking, sex work, drug crime, environmental crime, cyber crime, war crime, terrorism, and interpersonal violence. • Responses to Crime: looks at areas such as crime and the media, policing, moral panics, deterrence, prisons and rehabilitation. The book provides an up-to-date, critical understanding on a wide range of crime related topics covering the major concepts students are likely to encounter within the fields of sociology, criminology and across the social sciences.
Youth and Crime
Youth and Crime
Definition: Simply put, there is a link between age and crime over the life span. Street crime occurs largely during late adolescence and young adulthood, and offenders tend to desist from crime as they age.
The relationship between age and crime is well established; criminality generally begins in adolescence, peaks in late adolescence or young adulthood, and declines as people grow older. This pattern has been referred to as the age–crime curve, and has been documented using different kinds of data (e.g. self-report surveys, official reports) and in a number of western cultures. Figure 18.1 illustrates the age–crime curve with hypothetical data.
The age–crime curve reflects the relationship between age and street crime. Crimes that result in considerable profit and ...