Few subjects provoke as much public fascination and political concern as crime and criminality. This is an ideal textbook for undergraduate students coming to the subject for the first time. The book covers a wide range of topics: the historical and contemporary understandings of crime and criminal justice; different forms of crime - from street crime to state crime; who commits crime and who are the victims of crime; and how society and state agencies respond to crime and disorder. The contributions to the book offer clear, accessible introductions to the main topics and issues of criminology, and the book includes questions, summaries, key concepts, further reading, and tables and diagrams throughout. The companion Web site offers: lecturer resources - lecture notes by chapter, and PowerPoint slides to accompany lecture notes by chapter; student resources - updates, chapter synopses, bonus materials, annotated further reading, glossary, and Web links; test bank - a testbank of approximately 300 multiple choice with answers and feedback, corresponding to each chapter of the book.