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Criminal Justice/ Special Topics, CRJU 410-001: Violent crimes

Crimes of passion, violent crimes, serial crimes, victims and offenders. This libguide will help you find the information that Bowie State University has to offer for this course.

Definition of Violent Crime

Violence  That force which is employed against common right, against law, and against public property 

Crime  An act committed or omitted in violation of a law forbidding or commanding it, for which the possible penalties upon conviction for an adult include incarceration, for which a corporation can be penalized by fine or forfeit, or for which a juvenile can be adjudged delinquent or transferred to criminal court for prosecution. 

Violent Crime  (1) Any offense that has as an element the use, attempted use, or threatened use of physical force against the person or property of another. (2) Any other offense that is a felony and that, by its nature, involves a substantial threat of physical force against the person or property of another. 


  • From the Dictionary of Criminal Justice 4th ed by George E. Rush which can be found in the Reference section of the Library Call# REF HV 7411 R87 1994

Articles in Criminal Justice Abstracts Database

  • WIDOM, C. (2014). Varieties of violent behavior. Criminology, 52(3), 313-344. doi:10.1111/1745-9125.12046

Abstract:  There is an implicit assumption of homogeneity across violent behaviors and offenders in the criminology literature. Arguing against this assumption, I draw on three distinct literatures [child abuse and neglect (CAN) and violence, violence and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and CAN and PTSD] to provide a rationale for an examination of varieties of violent behaviors.

NIJ Publications Related To: Violent Crime

NIJ Publications related to: Violent Crime

Reducing Drug Violence in Mexico: Options for Implementing Targeted Enforcement  NCJ 246358, 2014, Grant Report, by Jocelyn Chi, Lila Hayatdavoudi, Sarah Kruszona, Brad Rowe, Mark A.R. Kleiman (66 pages)

The Importance of Victim Cooperation in Solving Sexual Assaults - Interview with Dr. Bill Wells
NCJ 247793, April 2014, Remarks/Interview, by Bill Wells Ph.D.

Healthy Communities May Make Safe Communities: Public Health Approaches to Violence Prevention
NCJ 244150, March 2014, NIJ Journal, by Sarah Schweig (8 pages)

Violence and Victimization Research Division's Compendium of Research on Violence Against Women, 1993-2013
NCJ 223572, December 2013, by National Institute of Justice (189 pages)

Why Is the United States the Most Homicidal Nation in the Affluent World?
NCJ 245221, December 2013, Recorded Seminar, by Randolph Roth (10 pages)

Comprehensive Community Based Information System to Reduce Youth and Gang Violence in Los Angeles County and Beyond
NCJ 242277, August 2012, Geography and Public Safety Bulletin, by Lieutenant Cheryl Newman-Tarwater, Detective Ray Bercini (2 pages)

Criminal Justice and Public Health Approaches to Violent Crime: Complementary Perspectives
NCJ 242273, August 2012, Geography and Public Safety Bulletin, by John Markovic (3 pages)

Integrating Emergency Department and Police Data to Locate and Prevent Violence: The Cardiff Model
NCJ 242274, August 2012, Geography and Public Safety Bulletin, by Iain Brennan, Jonathan Shepherd (3 pages)

Meeting Survivors' Needs Through Non-Residential Domestic Violence Services and Supports: Results of a Multi-State Study
NCJ 239394, August 2012, Panel Discussion, by Mary L. Kelley, Anne Menard, Eleanor Lyon