Research Guides: Criminal Justice: Getting Started

About Reference

Use print encyclopedias, almanacs, dictionaries, and online reference sources such as the Encyclopedia Britannica Online, to find:

Factual information
Background and historical information
Names of people, dates or events

VWU Library has both online and print reference books available.

Related Resources

Assassinations and executions : an encyclopedia of political violence, 1900 through 2000 by Harris M. Lentz III.
Call Number: HV6278 .L45 2002
ISBN: 0786413883
Encyclopedia of juvenile justice by Marilyn D. McShane and Frank P. Williams III, eds
Call Number: REF HV9104 .E58 2003
ISBN: 0761923586

General Research Strategies

Choose a topic for your research and identify specifically what you plan to write about.
Decide what type of information is needed. For example, you may need statistics or historical dates and facts or informative articles from magazines or newspapers.
Identify the main subjects, synonyms, related terms, key individuals, dates, locations, etc. These are the terms you will use for research.
Evaluate whether you are finding useful information and revise your search as needed to obtain additional information.
Contact a librarian or your instructor if you need additional assistance.

Books in Reference Collection

Encyclopedia of Crime and Justice by Dressler, Joshua
Call Number: REF HV6017 .E52
ISBN: 002865319X
A complete revision of the 1982 edition, the Encyclopedia of Crime & Justice is a unique interdisciplinary source, dealing with not only law but also sociology, psychology, history and economics. With entries ranging widely from abortion to rape and from family violence to wiretapping, the Encyclopedia offers a true mirror of issues dominating today's headlines.
Encyclopedia of Criminology by Wright, Richard A. and J. Mitchell Miller
Call Number: REF HV6017 .E5295 2005
ISBN: 1579583873
More than 525 alphabetically arranged entries by the leading authorities in the discipline. While the primary focus of the work is on American criminology and contemporary criminal justice in the United States, extensive global coverage of other nations' justice systems is included, and the increasing international nature of crime is explored thoroughly.
Encyclopedia of Forensic Sciences by Siegel, Jay A., Pekka J. Saukko, and Geoffrey C. Knupfer
Call Number: REF HV8073 .E517 2000
ISBN: 0122272153
The first resource to provide comprehensive coverage of the core theories, methods, techniques, and applications employed by forensic scientists.
Encyclopedia of White-collar & Corporate Crime by Salinger, Lawrence M.
Call Number: REF HV6768 .E63 2005
ISBN: 0761930043
Written predominantly by active or retired academicians, the signed entries cover more than 500 individuals, corporations, places, events, crimes, and scandals. Entries on 35 countries and regions incorporate an international component into a work that is otherwise mainly centered on the U.S. Varying from a column to more than four pages in length, entries conclude with brief bibliographies, which contain references to Web sites and popular publications in addition to books and journal articles.
The encyclopedia of kidnappings by Michael Newton
Call Number: REF HV6595 .N49
ISBN: 0816044864
The Encyclopedia of Kidnappings is the first single volume historical survey of this sinister branch of criminal activity. More than 800 engrossing and captivating entries examine kidnappings from biblical times to the present, detailing notorious kidnappers, well-known victims, and infamous cases from around the globe.

E-Books (Access through Ebooks on Ebscohost)

Encyclopedia of Gangs by Louis Kontos and David C. Brotherton, eds.
Call Number: Electronic
ISBN: 0313334021
For this new encyclopedia, two editors and approximately 60 other contributors have written 82 signed entries exploring gangs and public policies and programs designed to deal in a positive manner with the problem of gangs. The alphabetical entries range from one-half page (Non-racist skinheads) to 12 pages (Mexican gangs).
The Blackwell Companion to Criminology by Sumner, Colin
Call Number: Electronic
ISBN: 9780631220923
Provides a contemporary and global resource to scholarship in both classical and topical areas of criminology. Written accessibly, and with its international perspective and first-rate scholarship, this is truly the first global handbook of criminology.
The Mafia Encyclopedia by Sifakis, Carl
Call Number: Electronic
ISBN: 0585076650
Provides a fascinating survey of the mob’s most influential perpetrators and personalities, including their hangouts and hideaways, their plays for power, their schemes and crimes, and their unique culture and jargon. More than 100 illustrations, nearly 500 entries, and a chronology bust the Mafia myths and provide an unflinching look at the brutal, sin-laden, and bizarre culture and characters of organized crime.