Criminology Author:Piers Beirne This comprehensive text introduces the basic aspects of modern criminology, emphasizing the importance of historical, feminist, and comparative perspectives on crime and offering a critical sociological perspective on the relationship between crime and structured social inequality. The authors explore what crime is and why it occurs by examining... more » the four major forms of social inequality in the U.S.--class, gender, race, and age--and their influence on patterns of crime and victimization.« less