Features
- Cover Type: Hard Cover with 416 pages
- Published by: Facts on File November 2003
- Written in: English
- ISBN 10 Number: 0816049785
- ISBN 13 Number: 978-0816049783
-
Book Dimensions:
11.3 x 8.7 x 1.2 inches
- Weighs: 3.1 pounds
From Booklist
Here are two reference volumes that tackle topics related to crime.
In
The Dictionary of Crime Terms, Sifakis, who also wrote
The Mafia Encyclopedia (Facts On File, 2d ed., 1999), has brought together the language of Mobspeak--what wise guys and other American criminals say among themselves, not what is fabricated by writers or the media. The focus is mainly on Mafia-related terms, such as
ace of spades (the widow of a departed criminal big shot),
buckwheats (vicious spite killings),
midnight flips (the law enforcement tactic of arresting mobsters between two and four o'clock in the morning), and
sparkplugs (the most feared Mob killers), rather than street crime. Arrangement of the 900 clearly written entries is alphabetical, and there are some cross-references. The bibliography is current and comprehensive. The index is accurate and very helpful. In addition to book sources, the author has drawn on newspaper files and two attorneys with "special knowledge."
In 420 entries, the alphabetically arranged
Encyclopedia of High-Tech Crime and Crime-Fighting, by prolific crime writer Newton, looks at how technology combats crime and also makes crime possible, such as through the many Internet hoaxes (the
Miller Beer giveaway, the
Tweety Bird chain letter) and viruses
(Rainsong, Rhapsody, Xalnaga, Xanax). There are entries for individuals who have been convicted based on DNA evidence as well as for hackers, computer saboteurs, and
software and satellite TV pirates. The book also describes how technology is being used to free the innocent, particularly the huge number of persons who have been exonerated by DNA test results. Scope is international. Following the entries are a glossary, a bibliography, and an index.
Both
The Dictionary of Crime Terms and
The Encyclopedia of High-Tech Crime and Crime-Fighting are recommended for criminal justice collections in academic and public libraries.
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