Introduction -- About this book -- Conventions used in this book -- What you're not to read -- Foolish assumptions -- How this book is organized -- Icons used in this book -- Where to go from here -- pt. I. Defining and measuring crime -- 1. Entering the world of crime -- Defining the terms : what crime is and how you measure it -- Recognizing the various costs of crime -- Considering categories of crime -- Figuring out what makes someone commit a crime -- Waging a war against crime -- Bringing criminals to justice -- 2. What is crime? -- Understanding the two categories of criminal activity -- Identifying elements of a criminal law -- Linking criminal behavior to cultural mores -- 3. How crime is measured and why it matters -- Gathering crime stats : how much crime is there? -- Putting crime stats to use -- Considering the costs of crime -- 4. Helping those in the wake of crime : victims -- Looking at the historical treatment of victims -- Identifying the impact of crime on victims -- Pinpointing who is likely to be victimized -- Expanding victim services in the 21st century -- Observing the laws that protect victims' rights -- pt. II. Identifying types of crime -- 5. Getting violent : crimes of force -- Identifying types of violent crimes -- Defining homicide -- Attacking or threatening someone : assault and battery -- Forcing sexual contact : rape, sodomy, and child molestation -- Taking property under the threat of violence : robbery -- Kidnapping -- Pinpointing causes of violence -- 6. Hitting you in the pocketbook : property crimes -- Categorizing types of theft -- Defining property damage -- Looking at the causes of property crime -- 7. Dressing sharp and stealing big : white-collar crimes -- Identifying types of white-collar crime -- The challenges of investigating white-collar crime -- Prosecuting and punishing white-collar crime --

8. A group effort : organized crime and gangs -- Grasping the basics of organized crime -- Obsessing over the Italian mafia -- Identifying other ethnic-based organized crime groups -- Looking at what organized crime groups do -- FIghting organized crime -- Getting an inside scoop on criminal gangs -- 9. Tracking a worldwide problem : the narcotics trade -- The global workings of dealing drugs -- Treating drug users -- Preventing drug use -- 10. Front-page news : terrorism -- Recognizing types of terrorist threats -- Facing international terrorist threats -- Dealing with domestic antigovernment groups -- Focusing on single-issue terrorists -- Fighting back against terrorism -- pt. III. Figuring out who commits crimes and why -- 11. What factors lead to crime? -- Noting personal characteristics that many criminals share -- Looking at the impact of societal conditions on crime -- Studying the impact of atmospheric changes -- 12. Regarding crime as a rational decision : rational choice theory -- Taking a quick tour through classical theory -- Calculating the benefits and drawbacks of crime -- Creating rational deterrents to crime -- Examining the limits of rational choice theory -- 13. Looking at society's role in crime -- Introducing social disorganization theory -- Studying strain theory -- Considering social learning theories -- Delving into social control theories -- 14. Can your mind or body make you a criminal? -- Biological positivism : trying to link appearance to crime -- Wrestling with the influence of genetics -- Blaming the brain -- Struggling with mental illness -- Dealing with a personality disorder -- 15. Critical theory : theories off the beaten path -- Labeling someone a criminal -- Exploring feminist theory -- Examining leftist realism : a response to law and order -- Making peace -- Seeking healing through restorative justice -- pt. IV. Fighting crime -- 16. Battling crime at the local level -- Keeping the streets clean : the players at the local level -- Thinking about theories of policing --

17. Tackling crime at the federal level -- Sorting through the alphabet soup of federal agencies -- Coordinating federal and local efforts -- 18. Solving crimes : the process -- Responding to a crime scene -- Using special crime-fighting tools and techniques -- pt. V. Prosecuting and punishing crime -- 19. Seeking justice : the players and their roles -- Prosecutors : guardians of safety -- Defense attorneys : guardians of liberty -- Trail judges : overseeing the justice process -- Appellate judges : setting legal precedents -- 20. Finding the truth : pleading guilty or going to trial -- Keeping it local : municipal courts -- Movin' on up : state court systems -- Affecting the whole nation : the federal court system -- Negotiating a plea agreement -- Suppressing evidence (or not) : the pretrial hearing -- Facing a jury (or a judge) : the process -- 21. Punishing the guilty : why and how society does it -- Understanding theories of punishment and incarceration -- Placing defendants in custody -- Facing challenges in the prison system -- Placing defendants on probation -- Debating the death penalty -- 22. Examining the juvenile justice system -- Taking a look back : the historical treatment of juveniles -- Why juveniles are treated differently -- Walking through the juvenile justice process -- pt. VI. The part of tens -- 23. Ten jobs to consider in criminal justice -- Police officer -- Corrections officer -- Forensic scientist -- Computer forensic specialist -- Crime and intelligence analysts -- Probation officer -- Juvenile counselor -- Crime victim advocate -- Legal or law enforcement secretary -- Court reporter -- 24. Ten notorious, unsolved crimes -- The JonBenet Ramsey murder -- The Sam Sheppard case -- The Zodiac killer -- The murder of Robert Blake's wife -- The murder of Seattle prosecutor Tom Wales -- The D.B. Cooper hijacking -- The Black Dahlia murder -- The Jack the Ripper killings -- The disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa -- The murders of Tupac Shakur and Notorious B.I.G. -- Index.