Change And Continuity In Crime In Rural America

The study of rural crime has the potential to make important contributions to crime policy, criminological theory, and research methods in criminology. Although most places in America remain rural, researchers have paid insufficient attention to rural crime and have not utilized the wide variations among rural areas as natural laboratories for research. This report outlines what is known about rural crime and suggests likely rural crime issues for the future. Understanding rural crime requires understanding factors that make rural life distinct from urban life, including geography and culture. Understanding rural crime and anticipating future rural crime issues also requires understanding how technology, economic factors, and demographics shape the nature of rural crime. Official police data and victimization data are used to examine the levels of rural crime and to compare patterns of rural and urban crime. A variety of sources are used to examine substance abuse and domestic violence, two types of crime that appear to have similar rates across rural and urban areas. The report also focuses on the emerging issue of environmental crime in rural areas. And, despite the importance of race in urban studies of crime, little rural crime research has directly addressed links between race and crime.

Crime is often perceived as an urban issue rather than a problem that occurs in rural areas, but how far is this view tenable? This book explores the relationship between crime and community in rural areas and addresses the notion of safety as part of the community dynamics in such areas. Rural Crime and Community Safety makes a significant contribution to crime science and integrates a range of theories to understand patterns of crime and perceived safety in rural contexts. Based on a wealth of original research, Ceccato combines spatial methods with qualitative analysis to examine, in detail, farm and wildlife crime, youth related crimes and gendered violence in rural settings. Making the most of the expanding field of Criminology and of the growing professional inquiry into crime and crime prevention in rural areas; rural development; and the social sustainability of rural areas, this book builds a bridge by connecting Criminology and Human Geography. This book will be suitable for academics, students and practitioners in the fields of criminology, community safety, rural studies, rural development and gender studies.

While most researchers see the urban setting as being the only laboratory for studying crime problems throughout the United States, Crime and Policing in Rural and Small-Town America directly challenges this notion with an authoritative look at crime and the criminal justice system in rural America today. The assumption that rural crime is rare and comparable across various communities has led to incompatible theories and irrelevant practices. In order to transform this misconstruction, the Third Edition offers a clear outline of the definition of rural and provides a vital argument for why rural and small-town crime should be studied more than it is. The book also explores the individual nature of issues that emerge in these communities, including illegal drug production, domestic violence, agricultural crimes, rural poverty, and gangs, in addition to the training needs of rural police, probation in rural areas, and rural jails and prisons. Responding to rural crime requires an awareness of its context and how justice is carried out, as well as an appreciation of how features vary across rural areas. Understanding the relationships among crime, geography, and culture in the rural setting can reveal useful ideas and implications for crime and justice in communities across the United States.

"A compilation of policy-relevant research by a multidisciplinary group of scholars on the state of families in rural America in the twenty-first century. Examines the impact of economic restructuring on rural Americans and provides policy recommendations for addressing the challenges they face"--Provided by publisher.

The two-volume Encyclopedia of Theoretical Criminology, available in print and online, is the definitive reference resource for theoretical criminology. This encyclopedia offers a state-of-the-art survey of leading theories, concepts, and key figures in the field. It combines this breadth of coverage with the authority and international perspective of an experienced team of contributors, creating a definitive reference resource for students, scholars, and professionals. Broad coverage spans the origins and evolution of leading theories, major theorists, concepts, applications, and degree of empirical support for both criminology and justice Edited by a leading team of experts in the field and enhanced by contributions from an international group of leading criminology and criminal justice scholars Offers a global perspective from an international team of leading scholars, including coverage of the strong and rapidly growing body of work on criminology in Europe and other areas Includes coverage of theories of justice, crime, applied criminology, and traditional and alternative criminological theories 2 Volumes www.theoreticalcriminology.com

A groundbreaking look at the complex relationship between the built environment and population health in small-town America. The links between urban settings and health issues are well established, but the built environments of smaller cities and towns also play a crucial role in population well-being. In this book, Mahbub Rashid—who employs innovative spatial and social network analysis techniques to examine the impact of built form and space on people's behavior, psychology, society, and culture—uses extensive spatial, demographic, and health data to study the crucial role of the built environment in small Kansas cities. The first book of its kind, Built Environment and Population Health in Small-Town America sheds light on the critical factors shaping the well-being of these communities and provides valuable insights for building healthier futures.

Crime in Rural Australia brings together leading academics who examine the major dimensions of crime and justice in rural and regional Australia.