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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

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.