Violent Crime: Clinical and Social Implications / Edition 1

by Christopher J. Ferguson

Overview

Offering a unique and interdisciplinary focus on the roots of violence, Violent Crime: Clinical and Social Implications explores cutting-edge research on the etiology, nature, assessment, and treatment of individuals who commit violent crimes. This edited volume covers the foundations of criminal behavior, offers a balanced discussion of both environmental and biological research, and includes articles written by top researchers and scholars in the field. In Part I, Violent Crime examines the origins of violence, including family and other social factors, media violence, genetics, biochemistry, and head injuries. Part II delves into research on specific subgroups of offenders, including sex offenders, domestic violence perpetrators, murderers, and serial murderers. Part III focuses on issues related to victimology, prevention, and the treatment of violent offenders.

Key Features

• Draws from a wide range of disciplines, including criminology, sociology, biology, medical science, genetics, clinical psychology, and psychiatry
• Introduces students to cutting-edge research on genetic, biochemical, and traumatic brain injury-related causes and correlates of violent crime
• Presents a systematic introduction to the current state of the field (and its likely future) through articles from leading researchers in the various subfields of violent crime
• Includes case studies with salient, fascinating examples of actual crimes and criminals to help students understand key points
• Offers an international focus, with authors from Canada, England, Greece, and Spain, as well as from the United States
• Provides end-of-chapter learning aids, including summaries, discussion questions, Internet resources, and suggestions for further reading

A must-read for any student of criminological research, Violent Crime: Clinical and Social Implications can be used as a core or supplementary text in undergraduate and graduate courses on Violent Crime, Interpersonal Violence, and Social Deviance.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781412959926
Publisher:	SAGE Publications
Publication date:	01/13/2009
Pages:	416
Product dimensions:	7.10(w) x 10.10(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Christopher J. Ferguson is an Associate Professor and Department Chair of Psychology at Stetson University. He has published numerous peer-reviewed articles on the topic of video game and other media violence. His research has generally not indicated significant associations with harmful outcomes in children due to media violence exposure. He has served as Guest Editor for two American Psychological Association journals on the topic of video games. In 2013, he was awarded an early-career scientist award from the Media Psychology division of the American Psychological Association. He lives near Orlando, Florida, with his wife and son.

Table of Contents

Preface
Part I. Causes of Crime
1. Violent Crime Research: An Introduction - Christopher J. Ferguson
2. Family and Social Influences on Violent Crime - John C. Kilburn, Jr., Jenifer Lee
3. Media Violence Effects and Violent Crime: Good Science or Moral Panic? - Christopher J. Ferguson
4. Evolutionary and Genetic Explanations of Violent Crime - Martin Gottschalk, Lee Ellis
5. The Biochemistry of Violent Crime - Kevin M. Beaver
6. Brain Injuries and Violent Crime - Jose León-Carrión, Francisco Javier Chacartegui-Ramos
Part II. The Offenders
7. Violence Among School-Aged Youth: An Examination of School, Gang, Dating, and Sexual Violence - Cricket Meehan, Patricia Kerig
8. Violence and the Elderly - Jeanette M. Daly
9. Beyond Violence Against Women: Gender Inclusiveness in Domestic Violence Research, Policy, and Practice - Sarah L. Desmarais, Andrea Gibas, Tonia L. Nicholls
10. Physical Child Abuse - Mary E. Haskett, Sharon G. Portwood, Kristen M. Lewis
11. Sexual Offenders - Karen G. Terry, Orestis Giotakos, Maria Tsiliakou, Alissa R. Ackerman
12. Hate Crimes - Phyllis B. Gerstenfeld
13. Murder in a Comparative Context - Jennifer Schwartz
14. Serial Murder - Maria Ioannou
Part III. Victims, Prevention, and Treatment
15. Victimology - Arthur J. Lurigio
16. Prevention and Treatment of Violent Offending/Offenders - Mary Clair, Lisa Faille, Joseph V. Penn
Index
About the Editor
About the Contributors