Criminology Today: An Integrative Introduction, 11th edition

Published by Pearson (March 20, 2025) © 2026

  • Frank Schmalleger Emeritus, University of North Carolina

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For courses in Criminology.

A clear, contemporary introduction to criminology

Criminology Today: An Integrative Introduction prompts students to think critically about the causes of crime and the link between crime theories and policies. Throughout the text, author Frank Schmalleger frames content through the hallmark theme of social problems versus individual responsibility. Real-life stories and up-to-date examples bring to life both historical and modern criminological approaches.

The 11th Edition offers up-to-date coverage of crime and crime prevention, exploring topics such as carjacking, fentanyl and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) Act.

Hallmark features of this title

Theoretical perspectives

  • Theory versus Reality boxes showcase pertinent issues and theories and invite discussion through thought-provoking questions.
  • Theory in Perspective summary boxes outline the main points of various theories.

The people and challenges of criminology

  • Who's to Blame boxes illustrate challenges for criminologists and policy makers. Case studies with questions prompt readers to ponder to what extent the individual or society is responsible for a given crime.
  • Criminal Profiles boxes offer insights into the lives and criminal motivations of notorious offenders. These include Omar Mateen (the Pulse Nightclub shooter) and Jodi Arias.
  • Crime in the News boxes present case examples and pose questions about chapter topics.

New and updated features of this title

  • UPDATED: The authors have revised and refreshed content throughout the text to reflect the latest in the discipline. Highlights include:
    • A discussion of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) using the example of one-time football star Aaron Hernandez in Chapter 4
    • Material on Sam Bankman-Fried, co-founder of the FTX cryptocurrency company, and Elizabeth Holmes, the founder of blood-testing laboratory Theranos, in Chapter 12
    • Information about Oregon's Drug Policy Action Measure 110, which essentially decriminalized the use of all drugs throughout the state, in Chapter 13
    • Coverage of the arrest of the Golden State Killer, Joseph James DeAngelo, as an example of the creative use of DNA profiling in Chapter 14
  • NEW: A more concise presentation helps students better grasp the core concepts of the field. As compared to the previous edition, the text has been consolidated from 16 chapters to 15 and the epilogue has been omitted. In addition, the use of person-first language throughout makes the text more accessible to today’s students.

Features of Revel for the 11th Edition

  • NEW: Criminal Justice Data Maps using Social Explorer technology prompt students to examine crime and corrections data correlated with socio-economic and other criminal justice data. Integrated throughout Revel, these maps also show differences among state statutes on major issues such as marijuana legalization, the death penalty and the distribution of hate organizations across the United States.
  • NEW: Surveys within the Revel narrative prompt students to respond to questions about controversial topics and important concepts. Through a bar chart, students can then see how their response compares to that of all other students who answered the question.
  • Author Explanatory Videos allow students to hear insights and perspectives directly from the author.
  • Point/Counterpoint Videos present 2 opposing evidence-based arguments to help students analyze criminal justice issues. Topics include on the effectiveness of the fourth amendment, prisoner rights, the death penalty and more.

Part 1. Crime and Criminology

  1. What Is Criminology? Understanding Crimes and the People Who Commit Them
  2. Where Do Theories Come From? From Idea to Evidence

Part 2. Crime Causation

  1. Early Theories of Crime: Historical Perspectives
  2. Biosocial Theories, Body Chemistry and Neurocriminology: Interaction Is Key
  3. Psychological and Psychiatric Foundations of Criminal Behavior: It’s How We Think

Part 3. Crime Causation Revisited

  1. Social Structure Theories: It’s Where and How We Live
  2. Theories of Social Process and Social Development: It’s What We Learn
  3. Social Conflict and Emergent Theories: It’s How We Relate

Part 4. The Crime Picture

  1. Criminal Victimization: It’s Personal
  2. Crimes against Persons: It’s What We Fear
  3. Crimes against Property: It’s What We Lose
  4. White-Collar and Organized Crime: Crime as a Job
  5. Drug and Sex Crimes: Recreational Offenses
  6. High Technology Crime: It’s a Double-Edged Sword
  7. Globalization and Terrorism: Our Small World

About our authors

Frank Schmalleger, Ph.D., is Professor Emeritus at The University of North Carolina atPembroke, where he also is recognized as Distinguished Professor. Dr. Schmalleger holds degrees from the University of Notre Dame and The Ohio State University; he earned both a master’s and a doctorate in sociology, with a special emphasis in criminology, from The Ohio State University. From 1976 to 1994, he taught criminology and criminal justice courses at The University of North Carolina at Pembroke, and for the last 16 of those years, he chaired the university’s Department of Sociology, Social Work and Criminal Justice. As an adjunct professor with Webster University in St. Louis, Missouri, Schmalleger helped develop the university’s graduate program in security administration and loss prevention and taught courses in that curriculum for more than a decade. He has also taught in the New School for Social Research’s online graduate program, helping build the world’s first electronic classrooms in support of distance learning through computer telecommunications.

Schmalleger is the author of numerous articles as well as many books: Criminal Justice Today: An Introductory Text for the 21st Century (Pearson, 2025), now in its 17th Edition; Statistics for Criminal Justice Today (with Patrick Webb and Stephen Marson; Cognella, 2025); Juvenile Delinquency (with Clemens Bartollas and Hemant Sharma; Pearson, 2024); Criminal Justice: An Introduction, 14th Edition (Pearson, 2025); Criminal Law Today, 6th Edition (Pearson, 2016); Corrections in the Twenty-First Century (with John Smykla; McGraw-Hill, 2025); Crime and the Justice System in America: An Encyclopedia (Greenwood Publishing Group, 1997); Trial of the Century: People of the State of California vs. Orenthal James Simpson (Prentice Hall, 1996); Career Paths: A Guide to Jobs in Federal Law Enforcement (Regents/Prentice Hall, 1994); Computers in Criminal Justice (Wyndham Hall Press, 1991); Criminal Justice Ethics (Greenwood Press, 1991); Finding Criminal Justice in the Library (Wyndham Hall Press, 1991); Ethics in Criminal Justice (Wyndham Hall Press, 1990); A History of Corrections (Foundations Press of Notre Dame, 1983); and The Social Basis of Criminal Justice (University Press of America, 1981). He is also the founding editor of the journal Criminal Justice Studies (formerly The Justice Professional).

Schmalleger’s philosophy of both teaching and writing can be summed up in these words: “In order to communicate knowledge, we must first catch, then hold, a person’s interest, be it student, colleague or policy maker. Our writing, our speaking and our teaching must be both truthful and relevant to the problems facing people today, and they must, in some way, help solve those problems.” Visit Schmalleger’s Amazon author page and follow his posts on X (@schmalleger).

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