Criminology: A Sociological Introduction

Links to Useful Websites

Click to view the weblinks by chapter.

Chapter 2: Histories of Crime

National Archives
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ The UK government's official archive which includes historical records relating to crime, policing and prisons.
Old Bailey Proceedings Online
http://www.oldbaileyonline.org/ A fully searchable resource containing over 197,000 full records of criminal trials held at London's central criminal court from the seventeenth to the twentieth centuries.
London Lives, 1690–1800: Crime, Poverty and Social Policy in the Metropolis
http://www.londonlives.org/ Original historical sources on criminal justice, poor relief, charities and hospitals.
British Newspaper Archive
http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/ Can be searched for national and local media coverage of specific criminal cases, national crime trends and popular and political debate about these.

Chapter 3: Researching Crime

Statistics Canada
http://www.statcan.ca/start.html Produces national statistics on the population, resources, economy, society and culture of Canada.
Federal Bureau of Investigation
http://www.fbi.gov/homepage.htm The FBI is the principal investigative arm of the United States Department of Justice. Information about law enforcement and crime statistics can be sourced here.
Australian Bureau of Statistics
http://www.abs.gov.au/ The Australian Bureau of Statistics is Australia's official statistical organization.
The Home Office
http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/ The Home Office is the government department responsible for internal affairs in England and Wales.
The Office for National Statistics
http://www.ons.gov.uk/ Collects and makes available statistics on a range of social, economic and demographic issues in the UK.
The Scottish Executive
http://www.scotland.gov.uk The Scottish Executive is the devolved government for Scotland. It is responsible for most of the issues of day-to-day concern to the people of Scotland, including health, education, justice, rural affairs and transport.
United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute
http://www.unicri.it/
EC Europa – Justice and Home Affairs
http://ec.europa.eu/justice_home/fsj/crime/fsj_crime_intro_en.htm

Chapter 5: Early Sociological Thinking about Crime

University of Chicago: Department of Sociology
http://sociology.uchicago.edu/department/history.shtml Gives a brief history of the original Chicago School theorists.
Society for Human Ecology (SHE)
http://www.societyforhumanecology.org/ This is an international interdisciplinary professional society that promotes the use of an
ecological perspective in both research and application.
Chicago Area Project
http://www.chicagoareaproject.org Continues to operate today.

Chapter 6: Radicalising Traditions

Howard S. Becker Homepage
http://home.earthlink.net/~hsbecker/ A comprehensive site with a selection of published papers and links.
The Rich Get Richer and the Poor Get Prison
http://paulsjusticepage.com/reiman.htm A companion website for Jeffrey Reiman's book: The Rich Get Richer and the Poor Get Prison: Ideology, Class, and Criminal Justice, 10th edition (2012).

Chapter 7: Crime, Social Theory and Social Change

New Internationalist
This monthly magazine contains a wealth of global information http://newint.org
United Nations Crime and Justice Information Network
http://www.uncjin.org Provides links and information on the United Nations organizations combating crime on an international level.
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
https://www.unodc.org/  The UNODC is a global leader in the fight against illicit drugs and international crime.
United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute: The World Criminological Directory
http://www.unicri.it/services/library_documentation/criminological_directory/ This site contains almost 500 institutes in some 90 countries. A number of countries, in particular developing ones, which do not have criminological institutes, have nevertheless requested that some of their bodies' services be included in the Directory.
Cultural Criminology
http://www.culturalcriminology.org A website produced by criminologists based at the University of Kent, UK, which provides a resource for students interested in this growing area of criminology.
Governing Through Crime Blog
http://www.governingthroughcrime.blogspot.com Jonathan Simon's blog that interprets current events through his own distinctive criminological analysis.
Death Penalty Information Center
http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org A useful website for data on the death penalty in America.

Chapter 8: Crime, Place and Space

Peterborough Adolescent and Young Adult Development Study
www.pads.ac.uk An ongoing 10-year study investigating situational influences on young people, in particular the impact of their families, schools and communities on their social development.
ACORN
http://acorn.caci.co.uk/ Segments the UK population by combining demographic data, social factors, population and consumer behaviour.
Police.uk
www.police.uk Uses UK postcode searches to generate street-level maps and data about crime and policing.
Justice Mapping Center
http://www.justicemapping.org/ Provides visual data to argue that large numbers of US prisoners come from a small number of neighbourhoods in big cities.
Carceral Geography
http://carceralgeography.com/ A resource and networking site for those working on prisons, detention and space.

Chapter 9: Victims and Victimization

https://www.victimsupport.org.uk/help-witnesses/your-journey/whos-who-criminal-justice-system
Victim support website with information about the CJS as well as support available for victims. There are also links to government websites offering concerning both victims and witnesses of crime.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-24710184
This links to a BBC report and you-tube clip concerning the importance of revamped victims code of practice for Victims of Crime, which forms part of the CPS legal guidance.  It came into practice in December 2013.
http://legal.un.org/avl/ha/dbpjvcap/dbpjvcap.html
The 1985 United Nations Declaration of Basic Principles of Justice for Victims of Crime and Abuse of Power is one of the landmark documents demonstrating the global significance of victims.

Chapter 10: Crime and Property

Crime survey of England and Wales
http://www.crimesurvey.co.ukThe National Crime Survey of England and Wales provides up-to-date annual information on different types of crime, including property crime, which may or may not be reported to and recorded by the police.
The International Crime Victim Surveys
http://www.unicri.it/services/library_documentation/publications/icvs/ Information, publications and statistics on international crime victim surveys are available at this site.

Chapter 11:Crime, Sexuality and Gender

Office of Public Sector Information
http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2003/ukpga_20030042_en_2#pt1-pb1-l1g1 For information on the 2003 Sexual Offences Act.
Plan to tackle violence against women
For information on the current UK government action plan to tackle all violence against women see: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/crime/violence-against-women-girls/
Child sex offender disclosure scheme
http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/crime/child-sex-offender-disclosure/
Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre
http://ceop.police.uk/ CEOP works across the UK tackling child sex abuse and providing advice for parents, young
people and professionals.
National Organization for the Treatment of Abusers
www.nota.co.uk NOTA is a growing group comprising practitioners, managers and policymakers for the public, private and voluntary sectors. As a result, NOTA brings a wide variety of perspectives to interventions with sexual aggressors.
Child and Woman Abuse Unit
http://www.cwasu.org/ The Child and Woman Abuse Unit is based at London Metropolitan University and has a national and international reputation for its research, training and consultancy work. The unit exists to develop feminist research methodologies, theory and practice, especially in relation to connections between forms of sexualized violence.
The Fawcett Society
www.fawcettsociety.org.uk/ A UK women's rights organization that runs campaigns on sexual crime.

Chapter 12: Crime, Emotion and Social Psychology

American Psychological Association: ‘Hate Crimes Today: An Age-Old Foe in Modern Dress’
http://www.lambda.org/apa_hate.pdf A question-and-answer site shedding some clarification on the hate crime debate.

Chapter 13: Organisational and Professional Forms of Crime

Home Office Crime Statistics
Information about all Home Office Crime Statistics can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/crime-statistics
BBC radio
BBC radio hosts investigative journalism series such as File on Four and The Investigation, which frequently cover topics concerned with serious crime, drugs and related matters. The programs are usually available as podcasts and can be accessed via the BBC Radio 4 website http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/

Chapter 14: Drugs, Alcohol, Health and Crime

Drugscope
http://www.drugscope.org.uk/ An invaluable site with access to an online encyclopaedia about drugs and to Drugscope's library.
Alcohol Concern
http://www.alcoholconcern.org.uk/ This site provides links to many other useful sites and a good overview of key issues surrounding alcohol.

Chapter 15: Thinking About Punishment

Restorative Justice online
www.restorativejustice.org Excellent resource providing access to thousands of publications on restorative justice.
Criminal Justice System
http://www.cps.gov.uk/about/cjs.html This site has useful information on the criminal justice process in England and Wales.
Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service
http://www.crownoffice.gov.uk/ This site has information on the Scottish criminal justice system plus a selection of other links for reference.
Criminal Justice System Northern Ireland
http://www.ppsni.gov.uk/Criminal-Justice-System-5035.html A site on the criminal justice process in Northern Ireland.
Proceedings of the Old Bailey
http://www.oldbaileyonline.org/ A fully searchable online edition of the largest body of texts detailing the lives of non-elite people ever published, containing accounts of over 100,000 criminal trials held at London's central criminal court.

Chapter 16: The Criminal Justice Process

The Home Office
http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk The government ministerial office responsible for policing and related social control activities in England and Wales.
The Ministry of Justice
http://www.justice.gov.uk The government ministerial office responsible for key elements of the justice system including the courts and prisons in England and Wales.
Crown Prosecution Service
http://www.cps.gov.uk Website of the organization that undertakes the prosecution of offenders on behalf of the government.
Criminal Justice System
https://www.gov.uk/browse/justice This is another site that has useful information on the criminal justice process in England and Wales.
Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service
http://www.crownoffice.gov.uk/ This site has information on the Scottish criminal justice system plus a selection of other links for reference.
Criminal Justice Inspection Northern Ireland
http://www.cjini.org An organization that inspects the criminal justice process in Northern Ireland.
The Proceedings of the Old Bailey
http://www.oldbaileyonline.org/ This is a fully searchable online edition of the largest body of texts detailing the lives on non-elite people ever published, containing accounts of over 100,000 criminal trials held at London's central criminal court.
Criminal justice systems around the world
For narrative descriptions of the criminal justice systems of 45 countries around the world, see the World Factbook of Criminal Systems http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/html/wfcj.cfm

Chapter 17: Police and Policing

UK Police Service
For information on the UK Police Service, see http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/police/.
The Independent Police Complaints Commission
http://www.ipcc.gov.uk The IPCC is an independent body set up by the government to oversee public complaints against police officers in England and Wales, plus the National Crime Squad, National Criminal Intelligence Service, British Transport, Ministry of Defence, Port of Liverpool, Port of Tilbury, Royal Parks and UKAEA police.
Association of Police and Crime Commissioners
http://apccs.police.uk The national voice for police and crime commissioners authorities in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Includes publications and links to other useful sites.
State Watch
http://www.statewatch.org A non-profit-making voluntary group founded in 1991. This site provides useful police policy documentation and investigative case studies in Europe.

Chapter 18: Prisons and Imprisonment

The Home Office
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/home-office Provides access to a wide range of information on the criminal justice service generally.
The Home Office: Publications
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications?departments%5B%5D=home-office Provides access to a wide range of publications.
HM Prison Service
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/hm-prison-service Contains news, reports, statistics and prison rules for prisons in England and Wales.
Scottish Prison Service
http://www.sps.gov.uk Contains news, reports, statistics and prison rules for prisons in Scotland.
Prison and Probation Ombudsman
http://www.ppo.gov.uk/ The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman provides access to annual reports and publications.
Howard League for Penal Reform
http://www.howardleague.org/ Information, links and publications on penal reform.
National Association for the Care and Resettlement of Offenders (NACRO)
http://www.nacro.org.uk/ This site has information on penal reform and lists relevant publications.
Prison Reform Trust
http://www.prisonreformtrust.org.uk/ Information on the Prison ReformTrust, which aims at creating a just, humane and effective penal system.
Youth Justice Board for England and Wales
https://www.justice.gov.uk/about/yjb Contains information on policies, news, press releases and details of youth offending teams.
The Guardian: Prisons
http://www.guardian.co.uk/prisons The Guardian's coverage of prison issues is an excellent resource.
The Zahid Mubarek Inquiry
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/report-of-the-zahid-mubarek-inquiry This site is a link to the final report.
International Centre for Prison Studies
http://www.prisonstudies.org/ This site also maintains the indispensable World Prisons Brief.
UK Border Agency, Immigration Removal Centres
http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/aboutus/organisation/immigrationremovalcentres

Chapter 19: Green Criminology

Worldwatch Institute
www.worldwatch.org Produces useful annual reports covering a range of issues relevant to a criminology concerned about the environment, see State of the World reports on the website.
Europe and Environmental Crime
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/legal/crime/ The pages of the European online site that deals with the environment and crime.
Earthscan from Routledge
http://www.routledge.com/sustainability/ Provides resources and books giving information about the state of the environment.
Friends of the Earth
http://www.foe.org/
Greenpeace
http://www.greenpeace.org/international_en/ The two major activist websites.

Chapter 20: Crime and Media

Independent Media Centre
www.indymedia.org Daily articles produced by a collective of independent media organizations and journalists.
Media Studies.Com
http://www.newmediastudies.com A website for the study of new media, with articles, reviews, guides and other resources.
‘Media Panics’ podcast
http://britac.studyserve.com/home/lecture.asp?ContentContainerID=124 A discussion on ‘Moral Panics:Then and Now’ by Stan Cohen, Stuart Hall and David Garland at the British Academy in March 2007.

Chapter 21: Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism

Foreign Affairs: security analysis
http://www.foreignaffairs.com/topics/Security Analysis of US foreign policy and global affairs with detailed analysis of security issues and recent events.
MI5
https://www.mi5.gov.uk Presentation of security issues from a UK government and security service perspective.
American Civil Liberties Union
http://www.aclu.org/keep-america-safe-and-free-0 A civil liberties NGO perspective on counter-terrorism in the USA.
Liberty: counter-terrorism legislation
https://www.liberty-human-rights.org.uk/human-rights/terrorism/index.php An overview of UK counter-terrorism law and its accompanying debates.

Chapter 22: State Crime and Human Rights

Human Rights search engine
Try using Hurisearch, the Human Rights search engine, which will enable you to search over 4,500 human rights websites: http://www.hurisearch.org/
The Universal Human Rights Index
Provides access to work undertaken by various expert bodies and covers information on most countries and the United Nations: http://www.universalhumanrightsindex.org/
Amnesty International
A website on the worldwide movement campaigning for internationally recognised human rights: http://www.amnesty.org/
Death Penalty Information Centre
This website has information on issues concerning capital punishment: http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org
The International Crime Victim Surveys
Information, publications and statistics on international crime victim surveys are available at this site: http://www.unicri.it/services/library_documentation/publications/icvs/