Research Handbook on Violent Crime and Society

This comprehensive Handbook examines the various forms of violence that occur within and across societies. It explores the multiple psychological, sociological, and environmental causes underlying violence as well as the nature of its distribution across different social groups, geographical areas and time periods. Leading experts synthesize existing literature on violent crime from a cross-national and interdisciplinary perspective, outlining the risk factors linked to the onset and persistence of violent behaviour. They identify the victimization of vulnerable subpopulations, such as sexual and gender diverse individuals, indigenous communities and older adults. With detailed case studies including firearm violence in the United States, emerging forms of cyberviolence and cyberhate and an analysis of the global use of capital punishment, this Handbook illustrates the multiple contexts in which violence occurs. It discusses the best practices for the intervention and prevention of violence in and across societies and critically investigates institutional responses to the issue. Students and scholars of criminology, social policy, violent crime and responses to violence will greatly benefit from this informative Handbook. It is also an essential resource for practitioners and policymakers who are seeking effective solutions to reduce and prevent violence.