Summary
Contents
Subject index
Crime and Criminal Behavior delves into such hotly debated topics as age of consent, euthanasia and assisted suicide, gambling, guns, internet pornography, marijuana and other drug laws, religious convictions, and terrorism and extremism. From using a faking I.D. to assaulting one’s domestic partner to driving drunk, a vast array of behaviors fit into the definition of criminal. The authors of these 20 chapters examine the historical contexts of each topic and offer arguments both for and against the ways in which legislators and courts have defined and responded to criminal behaviors, addressing the sometimes complex policy considerations involved. Sensitive subjects such as hate crimes are addressed, as are crimes carried out by large groups or states, including war crime and corporate crime. This volume also considers crimes that are difficult to prosecute, such as Internet crime and intellectual property crime, and crimes about which there is disagreement as to whether the behavior harms society or the individual involved (gun control and euthanasia, for example). The SeriesThe five brief, issues-based books in SAGE Reference’s Key Issues in Crime & Punishment Series offer examinations of controversial programs, practices, problems or issues from varied perspectives. Volumes correspond to the five central subfields in the Criminal Justice curriculum: Crime & Criminal Behavior, Policing, The Courts, Corrections, and Juvenile Justice. Each volume consists of approximately 20 chapters offering succinct pro/con examinations, and Recommended Readings conclude each chapter, highlighting different approaches to or perspectives on the issue at hand. As a set, these volumes provide perfect reference support for students writing position papers in undergraduate courses spanning the Criminal Justice curriculum. Each title is approximately 350 pages in length.
Prescription Drug Abuse
Prescription Drug Abuse
Prescription drug abuse in the United States has recently gained the attention of both academic researchers and the popular media. There is good reason. It is estimated by the National Institute of Drug Abuse that 48 million people over the age of 12, or 20 percent of the total population, have used prescription drugs recreationally at some point in time. Since 1990, the number of new recreational prescription narcotics users has increased dramatically from approximately 570,000, to 2.5 million in 2000. That is a four-fold increase in only 10 years. Past year and lifetime use rates of prescription drugs have surpassed most other illicit substances, aside from marijuana, in most age groups. Strikingly, in 2003, a higher percentage of 12- ...
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