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This multidisciplinary volume assembles current findings on violent crime, behavioral, biological, and sociological perspectives on its causes, and effective methods of intervention and prevention. Noted experts across diverse fields apply a behavioral criminology lens to examine crimes committed by minors, extremely violent offenses, sexual offending, violence in families, violence in high-risk settings, and crimes of recent and emerging interest. The work of mental health practitioners and researchers is shown informing law enforcement response to crime in interrogation, investigative analysis, hostage negotiations, and other core strategies. In addition, chapters pay special attention to criminal activities that violate traditional geographic boundaries, from cyberstalking to sex trafficking to international terrorism.Among the topics in the Handbook:· Dyadic conceptualization, measurement, and analysis of family violence.· School bullying and cyberbullying: prevalence, characteristics, outcomes, and prevention.· A cultural and psychological perspective on mass murder.· Young people displaying problematic sexual behavior: the research and their words.· Child physical abuse and neglect.· Criminal interviewing and interrogation in serious crime investigations.· Violence in correctional settings.· Foundations of threat assessment and management. The Handbook of Behavioral Criminology is a meticulous resource for researchers in criminology, psychology, sociology, and related fields. It also informs developers of crime prevention programs and practitioners assessing and intervening with criminal clients and in correctional facilities.

This timely brief resource introduces a new evidence-based model for treatment of mentally ill individuals in jails, with emphasis on community-based options. Forensic mental health experts review police alternatives to arresting mentally ill persons in confrontations, the efficacy of problem-solving courts, and continuity of care between jail and community. The book's best-practices approach extends to frequently related issues such as addiction, domestic violence, juvenile considerations, and trauma and describes successful programs coordinating judicial and clinical systems. These guidelines for decriminalizing non-violent behaviors and making appropriate services available to those with mental problems should also help address issues affecting the justice system, such as overcrowding. Included in the coverage: The Best Practices Model.Best practices in law enforcement crisis interventions with the mentally ill.Problem-solving courts and therapeutic jurisprudence.Competency restoration programs.A review of best practices for the treatment of persons with mental illness in jail.Conclusions, recommendations, and helpful appendices.With its practical vision for systemic improvement, Best Practices Model for Intervention with the Mentally Ill in the Criminal Justice System is progressive reading for practitioners in the mental health field, especially practitioners working with inmates, as well as for stakeholders in the law enforcement and justice systems.

The commercial exploitation of children is a global crisis (Rahman, 2011; Svensson, 2006). However, media outlets and sociological researchers have successfully situated the problem as a primarily Asian, South American, or Eastern European concern. In the process, the exploitation of children in the United States has largely been ignored. The continued trafficking of international youth into this country, coupled with the growing rate at which American born children are targeted by interstate sex traffickers, speaks to the urgency with which the domestic exploitation of children must be addressed (Walker-Rodriguez & Hill, 2011). In fact, research suggests that an average of 250,000 American children and adolescents are at risk of commercial exploitation each year (Estes & Weiner, 2001). Further, there are indications that current data vastly underestimate the actual numbers of vulnerable and victimized youth (Chase & Statham, 2005). According to the U.S. Department of Justice (2007), no systematic efforts have been made to examine the commercial exploitation of children in this country. The low visibilities of the crime, combined with the inherent vulnerability of the victims, have facilitated the continued victimization of these children. The purpose of this book is to provide a critical analysis of the domestic, commercial exploitation of children. A careful explanation of the differing forms of commercial exploitation of children, victim and offender characteristics, and the mechanisms which maintain the problem will assist health care providers, researchers, and law enforcement in their efforts with this marginalized and understudied population. The authors begin with a comprehensive review of extant literature in this area. Additionally, case studies of child sexual exploitation are included to further illustrate the severity, complexity, and depravity of commercial exploitation in real life cases.​​​​​