Criminal Justice : A Research Guide

Students looking for a wide variety of criminal justice topics such as the court system, statistics about crimes, terrorism, technology and careers in criminal justice will find the resources listed below useful to start their research. Informational sources include books, journals, and online resources such as the library's databases and Web sites. Explore general topics in the encyclopedias and once you have narrowed your topic search for journal articles for supporting information. The terms and phrases listed in the subject headings below can be used to search for more materials in the library's catalog and research databases. If you need further assistance, please ask a librarian.

Black’s Law Dictionary, 7th ed. edited by Bryan A. Garner and Henry Campbell Black. St. Paul: West Group, 1999. ISBN: 0314241302.
Definitions of the terms and phrases of American and English jurisprudence, ancient and modern. Includes multiple meanings and examples of word usages with references to cases and laws.

Dictionary of Criminal Justice by George E. Rush. Guilford, CT: Dushkin Publishing Group, 2000. ISBN: 0070307091.
Dictionary of terms on law enforcement, courts, probation, parole, corrections, and related subjects. This dictionary focuses on terms commonly used in criminal justice practice.

National Criminal Justice Thesaurus. U.S. Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice, National Criminal Justice Reference Service. ISSN: 01986546.
Contains terms used to index literature in the NCJRS database. Source for finding synonyms and broader, narrower and related terms in the criminal justice field.

Criminal Justice Information: How to Find It, How to Use It by Dennis C. Benamati, et al. Phoenix: Oryx Press, 1998. ISBN: 089774957X.
Advice on how to do research, establish connections, find information in the library, locate government and international information, as well as Web sources of interest.

Criminal Justice Research Sources, 4th ed. by Quint Thurman, Lee E. Parker, and Robert L. O’Block. Cincinnati: Anderson, 2000. ISBN: 0870848607.
Overview of criminal justice research sources with chapters on the research process, collecting data, indexing services, computerized literature searches, reference sources, NCJRS, statistical research, legal research, and Internet research.

American Justice edited by Joseph M. Bessette. 3 vols. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Salem Press, 1996. ISBN: 0893567612.
Examine the legal system in the United States including the civil and criminal court systems, issues of constitutional law, legal history, and social justice.

Encyclopedia of Crime and Justice, 2nd ed. edited by Joshua Dressler. 4 vols. New York: Macmillan Reference USA, 2002. ISBN: 002865319X.
Includes information on the causes of crime, criminal behavior, crime prevention, institutions of criminal justice.

Encyclopedia of Criminology and Deviant Behavior edited by Clifton D. Bryant. 4 vols. Philadelphia: Brunner/Routledge, 2001. ISBN: 1560327723.
Covers topics related to criminology, deviant behavior, and other unusual sociological phenomena. Includes definition of each term, concise practical information, tables and diagrams, and a bibliography.

Encyclopedia of Violence, Peace and Conflict edited by Lester Kurtz. 3 vols. San Diego: Academic Press, 1999. ISBN: 012227010X.
Includes studies on “violence, peace, and conflict” from various points of view including criminology, cultural studies, economic, historical, political, biomedical, psychological, sociological, and public policy.

Violence in America edited by Ronald Gottesman and Richard M. Brown. 3 vols. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1999. ISBN: 0684804875.
Covers many aspects of violence in the United States—physical, emotional, and psychological, as well as its impact on the environment and property.

Crime State Rankings edited by Kathleen O. Morgan and Scott Morgan edited by Kathleen O. Morgan. Lawrence, KS: Morgan Quitno, 1994– . Annual. ISSN: 10774408.
Offers tables of crime data for U.S. states. Number of crimes, crime rates, and percent change are shown.

Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics by Michael J. Hindelang. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1973– . Annual. ISSN: 03603431.
Tables of data on criminal justice and related topics collected from governmental and private agencies. Also available in electronic version and on the Internet at www.albany.edu/sourcebook/.

Uniform Crime Reports, 1930–1997 (1998 to present available www.fbi.gov/ucr/ucr.htm). Washington, DC: Government Printing Office. ISSN: 00827592.
National crime statistics for use in law enforcement administration, operation, and management, including offenses cleared, persons arrested, homicide patterns, and law enforcement personnel. Also available on the Internet at www.fbi.gov/ucr/ucr.htm.

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NCJRS (National Criminal Justice Reference Service) Abstracts Database
www.ncjrs.org/search.html
Contains documents, citations, and abstracts for journal articles, books, reports, hearings, studies, bibliographies, and statistical reports.

United Nations Crime and Justice Information Network
www.uncjin.org
Includes U.N. criminal justice country profiles, U.S. Department of Justice sources, recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions, the “World Criminal Justice Library Network,” foreign and international law, criminological institutes, and libraries.

corrections— United States —periodicals
crime—government policy— United States
crime—research— United States —statistics
crime— United States
criminal justice—administration of— United States
criminal justice—administration of—vocational guidance— United States
criminal justice—administration of— United States —periodicals
criminal statistics— United States —atlases
law enforcement—vocational guidance— United States
police—vocational guidance— United States
prisoners— United States —statistics—periodicals