In Their Own Words : Criminals on Crime

Understanding the "criminal mind" (tactics, motives, psychology) is essential to the effective control and prevention of crime. Yet few undergraduates ever encounter a "real" criminal during their studies. How can students be expected to develop proper measures for the prevention of crime without first understanding the person behind the crime? Bridging this gap, In Their Own Words: Criminals on Crime, Fifth Edition, provides students with access to the perspective of "the offender." The only book of its kind, this anthology presents ethnographic accounts of gang members, burglars, shoplifters, pimps, prostitutes, killers, robbers, addicts, rapists, drug smugglers, and white-collar offenders--all of whom discuss their motives, perceptions, decision-making strategies, and rationalizations for crime. In order to help students become more careful, critical practitioners of criminology, the researchers of this volume frame each reading with a helpful introduction that places the criminal's words into a relevant theoretical context. An insightful analysis and conclusion follow each article. Ideal for courses in criminology, behavior profiling, criminal behavior, and criminal psychology, In Their Own Words: Criminals on Crime, Fifth Edition, provides students with a nuanced perspective on how--and why--offenders make decisions that lead them to commit crimes. FEATURES OF THE FIFTH EDITION Thirteen new chapters (four of which are original contributions)--featuring current material that resonates with students New and expanded coverage of many timely topics including terrorism, identity theft, computer hacking, and drug smuggling A Test Bank containing multiple-choice, essay, and true/false questions for each chapter

Paul Cromwell is Professor of Criminal Justice at Wichita State University.