When Crime Waves

Key Features:

• Critically examines the phenomenon of crime waves in an engaging fashion
• Provides multiple perspectives via historical and contemporary examples throughout the book
• Delves into the role played by politicians and the media in creating the perception that a crime wave has occured
• Presents themes of myth-making, cultural imagery, and social constructionism

When Crime Waves is intended to be a supplementary text for undergraduate criminology and sociology courses including Introduction to Criminology and Criminal Justice, Crime & Media, Crime & Society, Crime & Punishment, Sociology of Crime, Sociology of Deviance, Social Problems, and Criminal Behavior.  

Vincent Sacco is a professor in the department of sociology at Queen′s University in Kingston, Ontario. His research interests are in criminology and urban sociology, which relate to the study of criminology, as well as the study of public perceptions of and reactions to crime. In approaching criminology, his work emphasizes the study of “criminal events” and investigates why some people are more likely to be victimized by crime; when and where crimes occur; and what contributes to the views on crime held by the police, lawmakers, and members of the general public.