Advancing Criminology and Criminal Justice Policy

Advancing Criminology and Criminal Justice Policy is a definitive sourcebook that is comprised of contributions from some of the most recognized experts in criminology and criminal justice policy. The book is essential reading for students taking upper level courses and seminars on crime, public policy and crime prevention, as well as for policy makers within the criminal justice sphere.

There has been a growing recognition of the importance of evidence-based criminal justice policies from criminologists, policymakers, and practitioners. Yet, despite governmental and professional association efforts to promote the role of criminological research in criminal justice policy, political ideologies, fear, and the media heavily influence criminal justice policies and practices.

Bridging the gap between research and policy, this book provides the best-available research evidence, identifies strategies for informing policy and offers direct policy recommendations for a number of pressing contemporary issues in criminal justice, including:

• Delinquency, intervention programs and community crime prevention,
• Problem-oriented policing and the science of hot-spot policing,
• Sentencing and drug courts,
• Community corrections, incarceration and rehabilitation,
• Mental illness, gender, aging and indigenous communities.

Thomas G. Blomberg is Dean and Sheldon L. Messinger Professor of Criminology, and Executive Director of the Center for Criminology and Public Policy Research at Florida State University, USA.

Julie Mestre Brancale is a doctoral candidate and graduate research assistant for the Center for Criminology and Public Policy Research at Florida State University, USA.

Kevin M. Beaver is Professor in the College of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Florida State University, USA.

William D. Bales is Professor in the College of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Florida State University, USA.