Bringing real-world examples into the criminology course, Contemporary Readings in Criminology allows undergraduate students to read about major topics in criminology in the words of the original authors.

Selected from well respected sociology and criminology journals (including SAGE social science journals), the book′s readings have been edited to make them more user friendly and were vetted by a criminology instructor advisory board to ensure quality. A topic guide helps instructors better integrate the material into the course, and well-crafted section openers place each article in context.

Key Features


Introduces students to criminological research and methodology through edited, accessible articles that examine explanations for criminality via contemporary topics
Includes articles on crime typology (drawn from popular sources such as newspapers) that address violent crime and terrorism, property crime, white-collar and organized crime, and public order crimes
Contains unique pedagogy not found in other readers, including a preface, article abstracts, topic guide, a detailed list of additional Web resources, section openers, and end-of-article discussion questions


Intended Audience

Contemporary Readings in Criminology is appropriate for a wide variety of criminology courses, including the introductory course, as well as criminal theory or special topics courses.