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Recommended Readings
Agnew, R. and T. Brezina. 2019. “General Strain Theory.” Pp 145–60 in Handbook on Crime and Deviance, edited by M.D. Krosh, A.J. Lizotte, and G.P. Hall. Switzerland: Springer. Derived from Merton’s earlier strain theory, general strain theory specifies the major types of strains, identifies the types of strains that are most likely to cause crime, explains why these strains cause crime, and explains why only some strained individuals resort to criminal coping.
Akers, R. 2017. Social Learning and Social Structure: A General Theory of Crime and Deviance. New York: Routledge. Provides an overview of Akers’s social learning theory, including its theoretical foundations and four central explanatory concepts of differential association, definitions, differential reinforcement, and imitation. An elaboration of Sutherland’s earlier theory of differential association.
Bittle, S., L. Snider, S. Tombs, and D. Whyte. 2018. Revisiting Crimes of the Powerful: Marxism, Crime and Deviance. New York: Routledge. This book traces the evolution of research on crimes of the powerful since 1976, showing how critical scholars have integrated new theoretical insights derived from post-structuralism, feminism, and critical race studies.
Finkelhor, David. 2008. Childhood Victimization: Violence, Crime, and Abuse in the Lives of Young People. New York: Oxford University Press. This book explains the experiences, prevention, and treatment of juvenile victims by tracing the effects of victimization over the course of childhood. It discusses the categorizations of childhood victimizations as well as the risks and impacts of victimization on juveniles and their families.
Meloy, Michelle L. and Susan L. Miller. 2010. The Victimization of Women: Law, Policies, and Politics. New York: Oxford University Press. This book analyzes research on victimization, violence, and victim politics affecting women. It offers a historical look at violence against women, as well as responses from the media, social services, and the legal justice system.
Wortley, Scot. 2009. “The Immigration–Crime Connection: Competing Theoretical Perspectives,” Journal of International Migration and Integration 10(4):349–58. This article discusses four theoretical models to view the immigration–crime connection and their corresponding policy implications.
Recommended Websites
Canadian Resource Centre for Victims of Crime
This resource centre is a national, non-governmental agency that advocates for victims of serious crime. This website informs victims of the rights, services, and financial assistance available to them in their province or territory, as well as crime prevention strategies.
Children and Youth Crime Prevention Through Social Development
www.ccsd.ca/resources/CrimePrevention/index.htm
This organization aims to promote well-being through measures that address the social, health, and educational factors affecting children and youth crime. This site outlines possible social challenges, social interventions, and policies for crime prevention.
Office of the Federal Ombudsman for Victims of Crime
www.victimsfirst.gc.ca/index.html
The Office of the Federal Ombudsman works to ensure that the responsibilities of the federal government to victims of crime are met. This website provides information on federal services available to victims and advice on navigating the criminal justice system.
Public Safety Canada
The purpose of this website is to promote safety at both the national and community levels in Canada. Included are a list of strategies to counter crime and related publications and reports on the subject.
Recommended Films
Not in Our Town: Light in the Darkness. 2011. Produced by Patrice O’Neill. United States: The Working Group. This one hour PBS documentary spotlights a town in New York uniting against anti-immigrant violence in their community. The film follows the brother of a hate crime victim as he and other community residents examine the causes of and steps to prevent hate crime.