This handbook provides a comprehensive treatment of the field of criminology at the turn of the 21st century. It is designed to review the important recent developments in the sociology of crime and deviance, including:

This handbook is designed to review the important recent developments in the sociology of crime and deviance. The chapters will identify and discuss the "hot topics" and the cutting edge research of the field.The work is divided into 5 major sections: - History of the Discipline, - Methodological Issues in Crime Research, - Explanations of Crime, - Theory-Based Practice,- Special Topics. The editors have organized a comprehensive treatment of the field of criminology at the turn of the 21st century.

Methodological Issues in Crime Research Introduction.- Contributions of Cross-National Research to Criminology at the Beginning of the 21st Century.- Studying the Crime Problem with NIBRS Data: Current Uses and Future Trends.- Longitudinal Data and Their Uses.- Group-Based Modeling: An Overview.- Explanations of Crime Introduction.- Biosocial Criminology.- The Social Learning Theory of Crime and Deviance.- Self-Referent Processes and the Explanation of Deviant Behavior.- Self-Control Theory: Research Issues.- General Strain Theory.- Labeling Theory.- Institutional Anomie Theory: A Macro-sociological Explanation of Crime.- Social Disorganization Theory: Then, Now, and in the Future.- Criminal Justice - Related Issues Introduction.- Deterrence and Decision Making: Research Questions and Theoretical Refinements.- Situational Crime Prevention: Theoretical Background and Current Practice.- Desistance from Crime.- The Flow and Ebb of American Capital Punishment.- The Joint Effects of Offender Race/Ethnicity and Sexon Sentencing Outcomes.- Knowledge to Practice or Knowledge of Practice? A Comparison of Two Approaches to Bringing Science to Service.- Special Topics in Crime and Deviance Introduction.- Peers and Delinquency.- The Many Ways of Knowing: Multi-Method, Comparative Research to Enhance Our Understanding of and Responses to Youth Street Gangs.- Developmental Sequences and Comorbidity of Substance Use and Violence.- Caught in a Crossfire: Legal and Illegal Gun Ownership in America.- Family Violence and Delinquency.- Hate Crimes: Perspectives on Offending and the Law.- Cybercrime.