Promotions - Choice's Outstanding Academic Titles 2016 -

This new work--not to be mistaken for the multivolume SAGE encyclopedia with the same title, edited by David Levinson (CH, Sep'02, 40-0045)--may just start a revolution in the production of subject encyclopedias. The entries are topical, pertinent, succinct, and (finally) long enough to give the reader a fair understanding of the topic. The three volumes are structured around a dozen criminal justice themes, namely types of crimes, corrections, policing, law and justice, research methods, US organizations and institutions, criminological theory, victimology, correlates of crime, special populations, multidisciplinary aspects, and international crime. Almost 300 alphabetical entries (averaging 1,500-5,000 words) provide readers with an appreciation of the highly interdisciplinary nature of crime and punishment--a field of study that spans psychology, sociology, history, law, and public health. The authors' concisely written entries refrain from excessive technical jargon without compromising definitions or information. Articles are comprehensible to students and professionals or criminal-justice aficionados alike. Each signed contribution provides cross-references (at least three) to other works in the resource; additionally, many provide references and further readings.