Ideal for undergraduate courses in criminology--especially those taught from a critical perspective--Criminology: A Sociological Approach, Fifth Edition, is a comprehensive yet highly accessible introduction to the study of crime and criminological theory. Authors Piers Beirne and James W. Messerschmidt present the topic from a sociological standpoint, emphasizing the social construction of crime and showing how crime relates to gender, class, race, and age. Providing students with a strong theoretical foundation, the book also addresses historical, feminist, and comparative perspectives and highlights the major types of crime and victimization patterns. The text is divided into three Parts: * Part I focuses on three questions: "What is crime?" "How can we measure how much crime there is in the United States?" and finally, "How can we compare rates of crime in different societies?" * Part II is a systematic guide to modern criminological theory and its historical development. * Part III examines specific types of crime, including property crime, interpersonal violence, white-collar crime, and political crime. Written in student-friendly language, Criminology uses abundant illustrations, examples, and case studies to elucidate key points. The text also offers many helpful learning aids, including chapter previews, lists of key terms, chapter reviews, questions for class discussion, and suggestions for further study. NEW TO THE FIFTH EDITION* Moves the theory chapters to earlier in the book, helping to better connect them with one another* Reorganizes the chapters on theory to showcase the self-contained, internally coherent nature of criminology--rather than criminology's place in the historical record* Adds examples throughout* Presents new and up-to-date empirical data in all sections* Discusses many new topics, including cultural criminology and green criminology* Covers numerous types of crime that were not discussed in previous editions (e.g., whiteness and crime, the rape-war connection, Ponzi schemes, domestic right-wing terrorism, and state- sanctioned torture)

Author Biography

Piers Beirne is Professor of Sociology and Legal Studies in the Department of Criminology at the University of Southern Maine. James W. Messerschmidt is Professor of Sociology and Women and Gender Studies in the Department of Criminology at the University of Southern Maine.