A unique sociological perspective

Emphasizes social structure and social inequality–other texts ignore the roots of crime in the social structure and social inequality of society.
Highlights issues of race and ethnicity, gender, and social class throughout the book to appreciate the role these factors play in criminal behavior.
Moves beyond simple “get tough” approaches by emphasizing the need to understand social causes of criminal behavior in order to significantly reduce it.
Addresses two central themes in the sociological understanding of crime and criminal justice: (1) the degree to which race and ethnicity, gender, and social class affect the operation of the criminal justice system; and (2) the extent to which reliance on the criminal justice system can reduce the amount of crime.

Award-winning coverage

Details various theories of crime and underlying causes of crime (See Part II: Explaining Crime).
NEW: Discusses how chapter theories can be applied to strategies to reduce crime in new end-of-chapter Theory and Policy sections (See Part II: Explaining Crime).
Explores the relationship between media, public opinion, and crime (See Chapter 2,“Public Opinion, the News Media, and the Crime Problem”).
Examines the crimes perpetrated against women (See Chapter 11, “Violence Against Women”).
Devotes an entire chapter to political crime (See Chapter 14, “Political Crime”).
Provides a capstone chapter on how to reduce crime, outlining primary, secondary, and tertiary approaches to crime prevention and reduction (See Chapter 18, “Conclusion: How Can We Reduce Crime?”).

Strong pedagogical features

UPDATED: All-new chapter-opening Crime in the News vignettes, ripped from the headlines of 2016, engage students and demonstrate how the chapter content is relevant to real-life events and issues.
UPDATED: Crime and Controversy and International Focus boxes–several of them new or revised for this edition–highlight crime and justice issues within the United States and abroad.
End-of-chapter What Would You Do? exercises present hypothetical scenarios on real-world situations faced by both criminal justice professionals and average citizens alike.
Proven pedagogical tools promote effective learning, including chapter outlines, conclusions, chapter summaries, key terms, and engaging Crime Online exercises.
Comprehensive instructor support includes PowerPoint presentations covering the entire text, an Instructor's Manual with Test Bank, and the TestGen computerized test generation system .

The most up-to-date information on crime and criminal justice

The Seventh Edition has been thoroughly revised. It includes the latest crime and criminal justice statistics available as the book went to production, and it discusses the latest research on crime and criminal justice issues that had appeared by that time, with more than one hundred new references added and some older ones deleted. Major changes or additions to specific chapters include:

NEW: Chapter 1: New discussion of Intersectionality
UPDATED/NEW: Chapter 2: New discussion of anti-Latino sentiment and views about police powers; Updated data on sociodemographic differences in fear of crime data
UPDATED/NEW: Chapter 3: Updated crime data; Revised and expanded discussion of Latinos and crime
UPDATED/NEW: Chapter 4: Updated victimization data; New discussion of repeat sexual victimization; New discussion of impact of adolescent victimization on future intimate partner violence victimization; New discussion of children’s secondary exposure to violence; New discussion of victimization of LGBTQ youths; Expanded discussion of situational crime prevention
NEW: Chapter 5: New Theory and Policy Section
UPDATED/NEW: Chapter 6: New Theory and Policy Section; Revised discussion of nutrition and diet; Revised conclusion
NEW: Chapter 7: New Theory and Policy Section
NEW: Chapter 8: New Theory and Policy Section; New discussion of exclusionary school discipline and increased criminality; New discussion of the strength and consistency of the marriage effect
NEW: Chapter 9: New Theory and Policy Section; New discussion of Simon L. Singer’s analysis of delinquency in suburbia
UPDATED/NEW: Chapter 10: Updated violent crime data; Expanded discussion of mass murder; New Crime and Controversy box; New International Focus box
UPDATED/NEW: Chapter 11: Updated violence against women data; New discussion of Stanford University rape case that resulted in a lenient sentence; New International Focus box
UPDATED/NEW: Chapter 12: Updated property crime and fraud data; New discussion of gated communities
UPDATED/NEW: Chapter 13: Updated white-collar crime and organized crime data; New discussion of hiding of defects by General Motors and Toyota; New discussion of emission-testing cheating by Volkswagen
NEW: Chapter 14: New International Focus box
UPDATED/NEW: Chapter 15: Updated illegal drug use data; New Crime and Controversy box

Criminology: A Sociological Understanding, 7th edition

eTextbook features

Pearson+

Explore

Products & Services

Support

Extend Your Learning

About us