“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.

The Criminal Justice System

The Criminal Justice System

Definition: The criminal justice system in common law countries has two key purposes. The first is to prevent and reduce crime for the protection of the community and includes policies and practices to deter and reform offenders. The second is symbolic and based on moral principles and aims to set an example of those who break the law and subsequently offend against commonly accepted social and cultural codes of right and wrong behaviour (Daly 2012: 390). Ideologically, laws serve as part of the normative context within which individuals’ personal values and beliefs take shape and law enforcement is seen to operate (Tonry and Farrington 1995: 3–5). Criminal justice systems in western jurisdictions are generally composed of three ...

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