This book-containing contributions from scholars who are well-known for their research on gangs, and selected as experts on the assigned topics-examines youth gangs from a developmental/life-course perspective, exploring a myriad of issues related to gang membership, its causes, its consequences, and various intervention efforts to both prevent gang membership and reduce the problematic impact of gangs. Beginning with research exploring the intergenerational continuity in gang membership and examining the causal processes leading to gang membership, the structure of the book reflects the developmental sequence of gang membership. The consequences of gang membership for youth are examined, as are intervention strategies. The book also presents the first conceptual framework on female gang involvement, taking into account the differences in the paths and roles that women and girls may take into the gang. The book concludes by exploring how gang membership affects job possibilities for young adults. This book was originally published as a special issue of the Journal of Crime and Justice.

This book-containing contributions from scholars who are well-known for their research on gangs, and selected as experts on the assigned topics-examines youth gangs from a developmental/life-course perspective, exploring a myriad of issues related to gang membership, its causes, its consequences, and various intervention efforts to both prevent gang membership and reduce the problematic impact of gangs. Beginning with research exploring the intergenerational continuity in gang membership and examining the causal processes leading to gang membership, the structure of the book reflects the developmental sequence of gang membership. The consequences of gang membership for youth are examined, as are intervention strategies. The book also presents the first conceptual framework on female gang involvement, taking into account the differences in the paths and roles that women and girls may take into the gang. The book concludes by exploring how gang membership affects job possibilities for young adults. This book was originally published as a special issue of the Journal of Crime and Justice.

The wide-ranging scope of the Handbook of Life-Course Criminology covers genetics and environment, child offenders and late bloomers, the impact of school and peers, lifelong and time-limited criminal careers, and qualitative and quantitative methodologies. This unique Handbook is further set apart by its dual coverage of the leading edge of current research and innovative directions for future work in the field. Pathways to crime have been a central concept of criminology from its inception. Accordingly, a lifespan approach to the field has replaced earlier biological and sociological perspectives with a more nuanced understanding of offender behavior and a wider lens of study. The contributions to this Handbook break down issues of criminal and antisocial behavior from early childhood to late adulthood, examining developmentally targeted prevention and intervention strategies and reviewing emerging trends in research. Among the topics: * Childhood: including physical aggression in childhood, pre- and peri-natal development, and environment. * Adolescence: the impact of schooling, unstructured time with peers, gang membership and peer networks. * Adulthood: Adult onset crime, unemployment in emerging adulthood, crime and adult outcomes. * Prevention and Intervention: community programs, lifetime intervention strategies, re-entry. This volume will be a valuable piece for researchers in Criminology and Criminal Justice as well as related disciplines such as Sociology, Developmental Psychology, and Social Policy. It will serve as an important reference for the current state of research, as well as a roadmap for future scholars. "This impressive Handbook provides comprehensive coverage of key developmental and life course issues in criminology from birth to adulthood, including biology, genetics, gangs, schools, neighborhoods, adult onset, desistance, and interventions. The research recommendations in each chapter are especially important, and they should stimulate advances in knowledge for many years to come. This Handbook should be required reading for all criminologists." David P. Farrington, Professor of Psychological Criminology, Cambridge University, Cambridge, UK "In just a few decades developmental criminology has become the dominant intellectual force in criminology. This volume demonstrates why. It provides incisive reviews of important themes in developmental criminology. More importantly, it lays out rich agendas for future research that should inspire the next generation of developmental criminologists." Daniel S. Nagin, Teresa and H. John Heinz III University Professor of Public Policy and Statistics, Carnegie Melon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

This volume is the comprehensive synthesis of the empirical findings of seven important ongoing longitudinal studies of delinquency. It aims to examine the extent to which these studies answer the basic question of the origins of delinquent and criminal careers despite their varying guiding theories, methods, and settings. This book is an important resource for criminologists, psychologists, sociologists, and students on juvenile delinquency, criminology, developmental psychology, and deviant behavior.

The wide-ranging scope of the "Handbook of Life-Course Criminology "covers genetics and environment, child offenders and late bloomers, the impact of school and peers, lifelong and time-limited criminal careers, and qualitative and quantitative methodologies. This unique "Handbook "is further set apart by its dual coverage of the leading edge of current research and innovative directions for future work in the field.
Pathways to crime have been a central concept of criminology from its inception. Accordingly, a lifespan approach to the field has replaced earlier biological and sociological perspectives with a more nuanced understanding of offender behavior and a wider lens of study. The contributions to this "Handbook" break down issues of criminal and antisocial behavior from early childhood to late adulthood, examining developmentally targeted prevention and intervention strategies and reviewing emerging trends in research. Among the topics:

. Childhood: including physical aggression in childhood, pre- and peri-natal development, and environment.

. Adolescence: the impact of schooling, unstructured time with peers, gang membership and peer networks.

. Adulthood: Adult onset crime, unemployment in emerging adulthood, crime and adult outcomes.

. Prevention and Intervention: community programs, lifetime intervention strategies, re-entry.

This volume will be a valuable piece for researchers in Criminology and Criminal Justice as well as related disciplines such as Sociology, Developmental Psychology, and Social Policy. It will serve as an important reference for the current state of research, as well as a roadmap for future scholars.

--

""This impressive Handbook provides comprehensive coverage of key developmental and life course issues in criminology from birth to adulthood, including biology, genetics, gangs, schools, neighborhoods, adult onset, desistance, and interventions. The research recommendations in each chapter are especially important, and they should stimulate advances in knowledge for many years to come. This Handbook should be required reading for all criminologists."
"David P. Farrington, Professor of Psychological Criminology, Cambridge University, Cambridge, UK" "

""In just a few decades developmental criminology has become the dominant intellectual force in criminology. This volume demonstrates why. It provides incisive reviews of important themes in developmental criminology. More importantly, it lays out rich agendas for future research that should inspire the next generation of developmental criminologists."
"Daniel S. Nagin," " Teresa and H. John Heinz III University Professor of Public Policy and Statistics, Carnegie Melon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA "

The eldofcrimeanddevianceisextensiveandevergrowing. Asinglecollectionofarticles couldnotcapturethevariousmethods,theories,andissuesthatcomprisethekeyconcernsofthe discipline. Facedwiththevastarrayofpotentialtopicareasthatcouldbelegitimatelyincluded insuchacompendium,wedecidedtouseourownlenstofocusonareasthatwedeemtobeof continuingimportanceandthoseinwhichimportantdevelopmentshaveemerged. Althoughwe recognizethatmuchhasbeenexcludedfromthiscollection,wethinkwhathasbeenincorporated shouldbeofgreatinteresttoscholarsworkinginthe eldandtothosestudentswhoarebecoming acquaintedwithit. Thecompendiumisdividedintofourmajorsections:(1)MethodologicalIssuesinCrime Research;(2)ExplanationsofCrime;(3)CriminalJustice-RelatedIssues;and(4)SpecialTopics inCrime. Withineachsection,wehaveendeavoredtoselectauthorswhoaremajor guresin theareaonwhichtheywriteorareamongthoseyoungscholarswhoaredoingsomeofthe mostimportantworkintheirareasofexpertise. Thisblendofseniorandup-and-comingscholars demonstratesthecontinuingvitalityofthe eldandwehopethatvitalityemanatesfromthe selectionswehavechosen. PartItitled"MethodologicalIssuesinCrimeResearch"containsfourchapters. Theissues thataredealtwithrangefromthosethatarethesourceofcontinuingdebate(arelongitudinal designsworththeexpenseandeffort,anddothebene tsofcomparativestudiesoutweighthe dif cultiesinconductingthem)aswellasissuesthatareonthecuttingedgeofcriminolo- calresearchtoday(theuseofgroup-basedstatisticalmethodologyforanalyzingdevelopmental trajectoriesandtheuseofincident-basedreportingsystems). A Handbook on Crime and DeviancewouldcertainlynotbecompletewithoutaPartII titled"ExplanationsofCrime. "Wehavenotincludedachapteroneverytheoreticalperspective thathasbeenpartofthedisciplinarydialogue. Rather,wehaveselectedsomeofthetheories onwhichtherehasbeensigni cantdevelopmentoverthepast10years. Theauthorswhohave contributedchaptersareclearlyamongthosewhoarecurrentlydoingworktoadvanceeitherthe theoreticaldevelopmentofthoseperspectivesortheresearchagendaonthosetheories,orboth. v vi Preface Theyalsowereinstructedtoemphasizethemorerecentdevelopmentsoftherespectivetheories intheirexpositions. PartIIIcontainschaptersaddressing"CriminalJustice-RelatedIssues. "Thereweream- iadofissuesthatcouldhavebeenaddressedinthispart. Wechosetoseekcontributionsonissues thatrelatetheorytopractice. Althoughweseparatethemfromourtheorysection,thesesel- tionscouldhaveeasilybeenincludedthere. Wealsoincludedessaysontwoissuesthatcontinue tobeamongthosethatareofcontinuingconcern,capitalpunishment,andthein uenceofrace andsexintheprocessingofoffendersinthecriminaljusticesystem. Part IV of the Handbook, "Special Topics in Crime and Deviance", is a compilation of issuesthatcontinuetobeorhavebecome'hottopics'inour eld. Theyrangefromgangs,guns, peers,anddrugstoissuessuchaschildabuseanddomesticviolence,cybercrime,andhatecrime. Thereareexcitingtheoreticalandresearchdevelopmentsintheseareas,manyofwhichhavebeen forwardedbytheauthorsofthesechapters. WhenrepresentativesofSpringeraskedustoassembleacompendium,theyspeci cally instructedustoselectarticlesbasedonourvisionofwhatwashappeninginthe eldtoday. Wehaveendeavoredtodothat. Moreimportantly,insolicitingchaptersfromthecontributing authors,weaskedthemtorelyontheirviewofwhatwasofparticularcurrentinterestintheir areaofexpertise. Wefurtherencouragedthemtoincorporatetheirownworkintheseareasin ordertotakefulladvantageoftheirexpertise. Theresultisacompendiumthatincludesan- to-dateassessmentofthestateofthe eldonanumberofextremelyimportanttopicsincrime anddeviance. Wethinkitwillbeavaluableresourcetoestablishedscholarsaswellasstudents whoarebeingintroducedtothe eld. MARVIN D. KROHN Contents I. METHODOLOGICAL ISSUES IN CRIME RESEARCH Alan J. Lizotte 1. Contributions of Cross-National Research to Criminology at the Beginning of the 21st Century ...3 Janet P. Stamatel Introduction...3 WhatDoesCross-NationalCriminologyMean? ...4 TheValueOfCross-NationalCriminology...5 AskingDifferentQuestions...6 Macro-levelExplanations...7 ContextualizingCrimeinTimeandSpace ...8 MethodologicalChallengesAndNewDevelopments...9 QuantitativeApproaches ...9 QualitativeApproaches ...12 TheoreticalChallengesAndNewDevelopments ...13 GrandTheories ...14 AdaptingIntra-nationalTheoriestotheCross-NationalSetting ...15 NewDirectionsforCross-NationalCrimeTheories ...16 Conclusions...18 References ...18 2. Studying the Crime Problem with NIBRS Data: Current Uses and Future Trends ...23 Lynn A. Addington Introduction...23 OverviewOfNIBRS ...24 OriginsofNIBRSandInitialGoalsforIncident-BasedCrimeData...24 InformationCollectedbyNIBRS...2 5 vii viii Contents LawEnforcementParticipationinNIBRS...28 CurrentUsesOfNIBRSDataToResearchCrime...30 EarlyUsesofNIBRSData...30 ExamplesofCurrentUsesforNIBRSData ...30 ChallengesToUsingNIBRSData ...34 Challenge1:ConcernswithDataQuality ...34 Challenge2:LimitationswithPolice-GeneratedCrimeData ...35 Challenge3:AnalyticalComplexityofNIBRSData ...35 FutureTrendsInUsingNIBRSDataToStudyCrime ...35 AddressingChallenge1:ConcernswithDataQuality ...36 AddressingChallenge2:LimitationswithPolice-GeneratedCrimeData ...38 AddressingChallenge3:AnalyticalComplexityofNIBRSData...39 Conclusion...39 References ...40 3. Longitudinal Data and Their Uses...43 Alan J. Lizotte, David McDowall, and Nicole M. Schmidt Introduction...43 TheRochesterYouthDevelopmentStudy ...44 Data...44 Measures...44 Cross-SectionalVersusLongitudinalData ...46 ExamplesofDifferencesBetweenCross-SectionalandLongitudinal Analyses ...46 Conclusions...56 References ...

This volume is the comprehensive synthesis of the empirical findings of seven important ongoing longitudinal studies of delinquency. It aims to examine the extent to which these studies answer the basic question of the origins of delinquent and criminal careers despite their varying guiding theories, methods, and settings. This book is an important resource for criminologists, psychologists, sociologists, and students on juvenile delinquency, criminology, developmental psychology, and deviant behavior.

This 2nd edition of the Handbook provides an interdisciplinary coverage of new understandings of the most important developments in the sociology of crime and deviance that is current and emerging for research, methodology, practice, and theory in criminology. It fosters research to take the fields of criminology and criminal justice in new directions. Unlike any other handbook, it includes chapters on cutting-edge quantitative data and analytical techniques that are shaping the future of empirical research and expanding theoretical explanations of crime and deviance. It further devotes a section to the most current and innovative methodological issues. Chapters are updated providing an inclusive discussion of the current research and the theoretical and empirical future of crime and deviance. This handbook is of great interest for advanced undergraduates, graduates students, researchers and scholars in criminology, criminal justice, sociology and related fields, such as social welfare, economics, and psychology.

This 2nd edition of the Handbook provides an interdisciplinary coverage of new understandings of the most important developments in the sociology of crime and deviance that is current and emerging for research, methodology, practice, and theory in criminology. It fosters research to take the fields of criminology and criminal justice in new directions. Unlike any other handbook, it includes chapters on cutting-edge quantitative data and analytical techniques that are shaping the future of empirical research and expanding theoretical explanations of crime and deviance. It further devotes a section to the most current and innovative methodological issues. Chapters are updated providing an inclusive discussion of the current research and the theoretical and empirical future of crime and deviance. This handbook is of great interest for advanced undergraduates, graduates students, researchers and scholars in criminology, criminal justice, sociology and related fields, such as social welfare, economics, and psychology.

Many textbooks provide summaries and critiques of criminological theories, which are often supported by empirical evidence. However, this evidence is only as good as the research methods that were used to generate it. Where do these "facts" come from, and how reliable are they?
Researching Theories of Crime and Deviance offers a critical evaluation of the research methods that generate data, bridging the gap between theory and research in the study of crime and deviant behavior. This unique resource challenges students to carefully appraise--rather than blindly accept--the research techniques that are used to produce theories and scholarship.
In clear and engaging language, noted criminologists Charis E. Kubrin, Thomas D. Stucky, and Marvin D. Krohn assess the various research methods that have been used to test nine theoretical perspectives of crime. As they examine the processes and challenges of conducting theoretically directed research, the authors focus on sampling, measurement, and analytical issues. Coverage includes:
* Rational Choice/Deterrence Theory
* Trait Theories
* Social Disorganization Theory
* Anomie/Strain Theory
* Social Learning Theory
* Social Control Theory
* Labeling Theory
* Conflict Theory
* Integrated Theory
A dynamic and compelling text, Researching Theories of Crime and Deviance demystifies the research process, encouraging students to become better informed readers and researchers. It serves as an excellent resource for criminological theory courses, graduate-level research methods courses, and seminars that take a close look at the development of criminological theory and/or methods.

To reveal how membership in adolescent street gangs influences human development, the authors examine the origins of gang membership and the social and psychological factors that lead to joining. After demonstrating that gang members are responsible for the major share of serious and violent delinquency, they indicate how membership facilitates delinquent behavior and other developmental problems such as teen pregnancy and school dropout.

To reveal how membership in adolescent street gangs influences human development, the authors examine the origins of gang membership and the social and psychological factors that lead to joining. After demonstrating that gang members are responsible for the major share of serious and violent delinquency, they indicate how membership facilitates delinquent behavior and other developmental problems such as teen pregnancy and school dropout.