Sage Publications Encyclopedia of Street Crime in America

Anyone living or working in a city has feared or experienced street crime at one time or another, whether it be a mugging, purse snatching or a more violent crime. In the United States, street crime has recently hovered near historic lows; hence, the declaration of certain analysts that street life in America has never been safer. But is it really? Street crime has changed over past decades, especially with the advent of surveillance cameras in public places - the territory of the street criminal - but at the same time, criminals have found ways to adapt. This encyclopedic reference focuses primarily on urban lifestyle and its associated crimes, ranging from burglary to drug peddling to murder to new, more sophisticated forms of street crime and scams. This traditional A-to-Z reference has significant coverage of police and courts and other criminal justice subdisciplines while also featuring thematic articles on the sociology of street crime. Review "Ross... adroitly compiles informative essays...., focusing on street crime in the largest U.S. cities.... The well-written and well-researched articles, by 146 scholars representing major universities across the country, range in length from a few hundred words to several pages. VERDICT: An outstanding one-volume source on a subject that regularly makes headlines. Researchers and readers at all levels will value highly its compelling information, ease of use, and sensible organization." -- Rob Tench ― Library Journal Published On: 2013-07-01 "... Encyclopedia of Street Crime in America provides complete, current coverage of a unique and relevant topic. Not only is the volume an invaluable resource for students of sociology, psychology, criminology, criminal justice, and political science but it contains interesting and useful information on a topic that affects us daily, making this volume a great addition to public and university libraries." -- Kaela Casey Published On: 2013-08-01 "...readers will learn a considerable amount from this volume. Written in a readable style and eschewing theory for people and places, this is a perfect starter volume for a high school or undergraduate term paper. Summing Up: Recommended." -- A.C. Aycock ― CHOICE Published On: 2013-10-01 About the Author Jeffrey Ian Ross, Ph.D. is a Professor with the School of Criminal Justice and a Research Fellow at the Center for Comparative and International Law at the University of Baltimore. He has conducted research, written, and lectured on national security, political violence, political crime, policing, and corrections for over fifteen years. His work has appeared in many academic journals and books, as well as articles in popular magazines. He is the author of Making News of Police Violence (Praeger, 2000), co-author (with Stephen C. Richards) of Behind Bars: Surviving Prison (Macmillan, 2002), editor of Controlling State Crime (2nd Ed.) Transaction Books, 2000), Violence in Canada: Sociopolitical Perspectives (Oxford University Press, 1995), Cutting The Edge: Current Perspectives in Radical/Critical Criminology and Criminal Justice (Praeger, 1998), Varieties of State Crime and its Control (Criminal Justice Press, 1999), and the coeditor (with Stephen C. Richards) of Convict Criminology (Wadsworth, 2002). In 1986 Ross was the lead expert witness for the Senate of Canada′s Special Committee on Terrorism and Public Safety. He received his Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Colorado and was a Social Science Analyst with the National Institute of Justice, a division of the U.S. Department of Justice before coming to the University of Baltimore.