Shoplifting

Klemke provides an up-to-date review and analysis of the research and theoretical work on shoplifting. The analysis is structured by the three questions which dominate the sociology of deviance literature: (1) Who shoplifts and how do they do it? (the descriptive question); (2) why do they shoplift? (the etiological question); and (3) how do store personnel and the legal system deal with shoplifters? (the prevention/deterrence/labeling question). The author identifies the areas where consensus and confidence already exist in the research on shoplifting, then specifies the gaps in our knowledge, as well as areas of controversy and debate that continue to perplex students of the phenomenon.

This book focuses on middle-class urban women as participants in new forms of consumer culture. Within the special world of the department store, women found themselves challenged to resist the enticements of consumption. Many succumbed, buying both what they needed and what they desired, but also stealing what seemed so readily available. Pitted against these middle-class women were the management, detectives, and clerks of the department stores. Abelson argues that in the interest of concealing this darker side of consumerism, women of the middle class, but not those of the working class, were allowed to shoplift and plead incapacitating illness--kleptomania. The invention of kleptomania by psychiatrists and the adoption of this ideology of feminine weakness by retailers, newspapers, the general public, the accused women themselves, and even the courts reveals the way in which a gender analysis allowed proponents of consumer capitalism to mask its contradictions.

What is it like to be a cop in America today in the aftermath of the Rodney King verdict? In a risky environment when dangerous weapons are used and snap decisions are required? How should police officers be treated and their grievances be resolved? A long-time expert in the settlement of disputes writes in a popular vein and describes real cases to demonstrate common disputes and ways to settle grievances through arbitration.

Businesses today are confronted with increased tensions in the workplace, pressures by activist groups, and sophisticated means of stealing their tangible and intangible properties. Security- related responses to real or perceived threats have generated considerable legal activity and the results are often confusing and contradictory. Hannon's purpose is to make sense out of these cases by giving an overview of security-related legal exposures, then identifying the rights of the parties involved in varying situations, and analyzing the methods different courts use in balancing those rights.

A practicing analyst combines broad training and research and hands-on experience in this first comprehensive reference/text assessing criminal, investigative, and strategic analysis techniques and reports, while showing how they support every facet of law enforcement today. The sourcebook gives a history of the field of analysis and of the education and training of analysts; lists and describes analytical techniques; discusses public and strategic reporting and the application of analytical techniques in all types of investigations; highlights the work of agencies, organizations, and individuals in the field; and points to future needs and uses for criminal analysis. A glossary, a description of computer software, an encyclopedic arrangement of data, and a lengthy bibliography make this guide invaluable for analysts, law enforcement officers, and criminal justice students and experts.

This book provides a systematic and scholarly examination of the major questions facing academics and practitioners working in the area of deviance and aging. Drawing on the theoretical and empirical work from established leaders in criminology and criminal justice, the editors provide large sample studies that identify the long-term trends in the area of aging and crime. "This volume is a fine source of data about a minor facet of offensive behavior." Contemporary Sociology