Crime prevention is essential to the success of any civilization. Effective criminal justice systems contribute greatly to the prevention of crime. However, clashing traditional and modern theories regarding appropriate action within criminal justice organizations can cause these systems to fail even when personnel is beyond reproach. Successfully blending traditional and modern theories on criminal justice can bolster justice systems and allow them to be successful. Comparative Criminology Across Western and African Perspectives is a critical scholarly publication that addresses comparative issues pertaining to empirical research and theoretical frameworks on criminology in Africa. Highlighting topics such as policing ethics, criminal theory, and victims’ rights, this book is ideal for academicians, law enforcement, victim advocates, lawmakers, correctional officers, correctional rehabilitation counselors, criminologists, researchers, policymakers, government officials, and students.

Criminology assumes the position of an established discipline, yet its influence is limited by its primary focus on the West for both theoretical and empirical substance. But the growing interest in comparative criminology now means that countries compare notes, thereby broadening the parameters of criminology. Still relatively ignored in the literature, however, are issues of crime and justice as they affect people of African descent around the globe. Drawing upon materials from countries in Africa, the Caribbean, North and South America, and Europe, this stimulating book reflects on the experiences of people of African descent to offer a convergence of criminologies in and outside the West. Simultaneously, it acknowledges Western criminology as a significant angle from which to comprehend crime and justice as they are conceptualized outside the West. The volume also investigates whether Western criminological accounts are relevant to the comprehension of crime, criminality and systems of justice in Africa, the Caribbean and South America.

First published by the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute, this revised edition remains a rare study of criminology in the African context, considered from a pan-African perspective. The paucity of information and analysis on crime in Africa, both at national and continental levels, and the ongoing concerns about crime and its negative impacts on law, human rights and development in the region, assure the work continual relevance. On a practical level if African countries are to ensure that crime is dealt with as efficiently as possible, and through prevention, so that resources can be directed to areas of greatest need, then laws and strategies at local and international levels will need to be based on the kinds of data and reflection that this collection of papers provides. Some topics covered include: traditional, colonial and present day administration of criminal justice; the problems associated with criminal justice in Madagascar; state violence in Uganda; a case study of corruption in Nigeria; criminal politics in Cameroon; drug trafficking and abuse; homicide in Sierra Leone; youth and crime; the relationship between migration, crime and delinquency; and violence as a weapon of the dispossessed. A final chapter considers the state of teaching and research in the field of criminology in Africa. The contributions are in both English and French. The editor is a criminologist and a diplomat. He has variously served as Professor of Sociology and Criminology at the universities of Makerere and Nairobi.

This book presents a comparative look at the norms and attitudes related to youth violence. It aims to present a perspective outside of the typical Western context, through case studies comparing a developed / Western democracy (Germany), a country with a history of institutionalized violence (South Africa), and an emerging democracy that has experienced heavy terrorism (Pakistan). Building on earlier works, the research presented in this innovative volume provides new insights into the sociocultural context for shaping both young people's tolerance of and involvement in violence, depending on their environment. This volume covers: Research on interpersonal violence. Thorough review of the contribution of research on gangs, violence, neighborhoods and community. Analyses on violence-related norms of male juveniles (ages 16-21 years old) living in high-risk urban neighborhoods. Intense discussion of the concept of street code and its use. Application of street code concept to contexts outside the US. An integrating chapter focused on where the street code exists, and how it is modified or interpreted by young men. With a foreword by Jeffrey Ian Ross, this book aims to provide a broader context for research. It does so via a rigorous comparative methodology, presenting a framework that may be applied to future studies. This open access book will be of interest to researchers in criminology and criminal justice, as well as related fields such as sociology, demography, psychology, and public health.