Best Selling Books by Ian Ross

First Published in 2015. Daily newspaper headlines, talk radio and cable television broadcasts, and Internet news web sites continuously highlight the relationship between religion and violence. These media contain stories about such diverse incidents as suicide attacks by Islamic fundamentalists in Afghanistan, Iraq, Israel, Pakistan, and elsewhere, and assassinations of doctors who perform abortions by white American Christian true believers in the United States. How does one make sense of the role of religion in violence, and of perpetrators of violence who cite religion as a motivation? This encyclopedia includes a wide range of entries: biographies of key figures, historical events, religious groups, countries and regions where religion and violence have intersected, and practices, rituals, and processes of religious violence.

An essential resource for former convicts and their families post-incarceration. The United States has the largest criminal justice system in the world, with currently over 7 million adults and juveniles in jail, prison, or community custody. Because they spend enough time in prison to disrupt their connections to their families and their communities, they are not prepared for the difficult and often life-threatening process of reentry. As a result, the percentage of these people who return to a life of crime and additional prison time escalates each year. Beyond Bars is the most current, practical, and comprehensive guide for ex-convicts and their families about managing a successful reentry into the community and includes: • Tips on how to prepare for release while still in prison • Ways to deal with family members, especially spouses and children • Finding a job • Money issues such as budgets, bank accounts, taxes, and debt • Avoiding drugs and other illicit activities • Free resources to rely on for support

Academic research on state crime has focused on the illegal actions of individuals and organizations (i.e., syndicates and corporations). Interchangeably labeled governmental crime, delinquency, illegality, or lawlessness, official deviance and misconduct, crimes of obedience, and human rights violations, state crime has largely been considered in relation to insurgent violence or threats to national security. Generally, it has been seen as a phenomenon endemic to authoritarian countries in transitional and lesser developed contexts. We need look no further than today''s headlines to see the evidence of state crime. Rwanda, where government troops massacred countless Hutus and Tutsis, governmental atrocities in Kosovo, at the hands of the Yugoslavian Army, and East Timor where both individuals and property have been decimated, largely perpetrated by the Indonesian military. The study of how to control state crime has been difficult. There are definitional, conceptual, theoretical, and methodological problems, as well as difficulties in designing of practical methods to abolish, combat, control or resist this type of behavior. Jeffrey Ian Ross reviews these shortcomings, then develops a preliminary model of ways to control state crime. His intention is stimulating scholarly research and debate, but also encouraging progressive-minded policymakers and practitioners who work for governmental and nongovernmental organizations. The hope is that they will reflect upon the methods they advocate or use to minimize state transgressions. This new edition will be of compelling interest to students of political science and criminology, as well as general readers interested in human rights, state crime, and world affairs.

The salient feature of this book is its comprehensive but concise approach to the field of terrorism - particularly its causes and effects - and the application of this information to selected case studies. Political Terrorism: An Interdisciplinary Approach is easy to read and designed to answer common questions asked by undergraduate and graduate students without prior exposure to the study of terrorism. This book is accessible to practitioners (those individuals working, or aspiring to work, in the fields of criminal justice and national security) and policymakers in the counterterrorism field as well as members of the mass media covering stories on terrorism. Political Terrorism is sensitive to the global ramifications of terrorism and the responses to it. This book maintains a balance between realism and sensationalism and offers a more comprehensive understanding of the causes and effects of terrorism than do most other texts. Political Terrorism integrates scholarly analysis with current events by relying on recent media accounts and information gathered by responsible news outlets. The text features end-of-chapter questions as well as «exhibit» boxes that provide background details on items of interest to students and instructors.

Such is Life in the Navy tells the story of Herbert Victor Wiley. Born in Missouri in the late 1800''s, this man lived an accomplished life, both as a naval officer and as a father. His boyhood in small Midwestern towns builds the character that will exemplify Wiley in his personal and professional life. Intelligent, pragmatic, courageous, calm... all of these attributes serve him well. He is fearless in taking to the air and builds a reputation as the consummate airship officer and a leading expert in the field. At the outbreak of World War II he calmly and bravely directs a squadron of destroyers against Japanese forces. Later, as captain, he guides his battleship USS West Virginia through fierce combat in the Pacific. He wins accolades for his leadership, perseverance, and achievement. Wiley handles deep personal loss with the same courage and stoicism he brings to his job. He is the doting father of three who must balance the needs of his family with service to his country.

A judge hands down a stretch in a local, state, or federal prison. It’s time for some serious life lessons. With the crime rates soaring in the United States and the prison population growing faster than at any time in American history, staying alive and well—both mentally and physically—is tougher than ever. Behind Bars breaks down the bars on prison survival with a hard look at the realities of incarceration. Learn what it really takes to: • Avoid being sexually abused, stabbed, beaten, or even killed. • Identify deadly prison gangs. • Keep your own attorney from taking advantage of you. • Get edible food and stay as healthy as possible. • Learn the realities and untangle red tape of conjugal visits. • Successfully navigate the complex parole system. • Stay alive during a prison riot.

''This collection presents significant summaries of past criminal behavior, and significant new cultural and political contextualizations that provide greater understanding of the complex effects of crime, sovereignty, culture, and colonization on crime and criminalization on Indian reservations.'' Duane Champagne, UCLA (From the Foreword) Native Americans and the Criminal Justice System offers a comprehensive approach to explaining the causes, effects, and solutions for the presence and plight of Native Americans in the criminal justice system. Articles from scholars and experts in Native American issues examine the ways in which society''s response to Native Americans is often socially constructed. The contributors work to dispel the myths surrounding the crimes committed by Native Americans and assertions about the role of criminal justice agencies that interact with Native Americans. In doing so, the contributors emphasize the historical, social, and cultural roots of Anglo European conflicts with Native peoples and how they are manifested in the criminal justice system. Selected chapters also consider the global and cross-national ramifications of Native Americans and crime. This book systematically analyzes the broad nature of the subject area, including unique and emerging problems, theoretical issues, and policy implications.

Key Issues in Corrections is a fascinating book that critically analyzes the most important challenges affecting the correctional system in the United States. Jeffrey Ian Ross, an expert in the field, builds on his acclaimed book Special Problems in Corrections to examine both long-standing and emerging issues, grounding the discussion in empirical research and current events. This fully updated edition integrates new scholarship, lawsuits, and the use of technology; introduces and evaluates new corrections policies and practices; and features two new sections, "The Privatization of Prisons" and "The Death Penalty," as well as links to a companion website. Offering a no-nonsense approach to the problems faced by correctional officers, correctional managers, prisoners, and the public, this solutions-focused book will be a vital resource for students of criminology.

Convict criminology (CC) is based on the belief that the convict’s voice has been traditionally ignored or marginalized in scholarship and policy debates, and that its inclusion can positively impact the fields of corrections, criminology, criminal justice, and policy making. Designed for students, scholars, and activists worldwide this is the first sole-authored book to comprehensively explain the CC approach to scholarship, teaching, mentorship, and prison and criminal justice activism. It reviews the history and scholarship on this engaging field and the challenges that the approach has encountered. It features: • exhibit boxes • keywords • test questions - including multiple choice, short answer and essay format.

An introduction to political crime provides a comprehensive and contemporary analysis of political crime including both violent and nonviolent crimes committed by and against the state in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and other advanced industrialized democracies since the 1960s.

Building on nearly three dozen books using a similar format, Letters to a Young Criminologist provides a long-overdue, valuable, and engaging analysis and advice for individuals considering a career as an academic criminologist. Drawing on the author’s three decades of experience as a criminologist working in government and university settings, academic research, personal experience, and numerous conversations with students, administrators, and fellow criminologists over the years, the book offers helpful, practical, and highly accessible insights for experts and nonspecialists alike. Key features include: Offers helpful, practical, and valuable analysis and advice for people considering a career as an academic criminologist. Is tailored primarily to undergraduate and graduate students and untenured assistant professors, but is also relevant to a broader audience. Draws on the author’s extensive experience and scholarly research and combines research and personal anecdotes. Provides accessible insights for both specialists and those new to the field. While the book is primarily directed at undergraduate and graduate students and early-career academics in this increasingly popular academic field/discipline, its insights are equally relevant to criminal justice practitioners and professionals, including people contemplating or currently working in law enforcement, corrections, probation, or parole as officers, court personnel, and criminal lawyers.

Foreword by James D. Ratley, CFE, President and CEO, Association of Certified Fraud Examiners Beyond the basics—tools for applied fraud management In Exposing Fraud: Skills, Process, and Practicalities, anti-fraud expert Ian Ross provides both ideas and practical guidelines for applying sound techniques for fraud investigation and detection and related project management. The investigative principles in this book are truly universal and can be applied anywhere in the world to deal with any of the range of fraud types prevalent in today''s business environments. Topics covered include cyber fraud, the psychology of fraud, data analysis techniques, and the role of corporate and international culture in criminal behavior, among many others. Ensure an optimal outcome to fraud investigations by mastering real-world skills, from interviewing and handling evidence to conducting criminal proceedings. As technologies and fraud techniques become more complex, fraud investigation must increase in complexity as well. However, this does not mean that time-tested strategies for detecting criminals have become obsolete. Instead, it means that a hands-on approach to fraud detection and management is needed more than ever. The book does just that: Takes a unique practical approach to the business of detecting, understanding, and dealing with fraud of all types Aids in the development of key skills, including conducting investigations and managing fraud risk Covers issues related to ethically and efficiently handling impulsive and systemic fraud, plus investigating criminals who may be running multiple scams Addresses fraud from a global perspective, considering cultural and psychological factors that influence fraudsters Unlike other fraud investigation books on the market, Exposing Fraud develops the ethical and legal foundation required to apply theory and advice in real-world settings. From the simple to the complex, this book demonstrates the most effective application of anti-fraud techniques.

The September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States brought the issue of terrorism to the forefront of American attention and controversy. To determine how to prevent further destruction, it is necessary to understand the shadowy phenomenon that causes it. Who are the terrorists? What are their motives? What are the roots of this form of violence, and will it come to an end? What exactly is terrorism?

We tend to view the world beyond these shores on the basis of what the media make of it, whether the media of words or of images, and long-considered or instant. Ian Ross offers a welcome change of perspective. He spent his career as a senior executive in two controversial industrial sectors—tobacco and oil—and necessarily sees the world through the lens of business. The West and the Rest examines what he gained that we can learn from.

Although many people consider excessive police violence disconcerting, if, when, and how they voice their opinion or respond by taking some sort of action has generally remained empirically unknown. In the hope of understanding this process, Ross has developed a four-stage model, based on a review of the literature and on interviews with the relevant actors. He then uses this tool to analyze police violence that occurred in Toronto, Canada and New York City, over a fifteen-year period. To better focus the study, he uses in-depth case studies of three well-publicized cases of police violence from each city, matched on important criteria. This study addresses a difficult, timely, and important topic for victims, for police personnel, and for society. Ross concludes that, in general, most individuals do not respond to police use of excessive force; further, if and when they do usually depends on the context of the violence. Using both quantitative and qualitative methods, Ross''s model integrates a variety of approaches to improve our understanding of how communities come to define and control the use of force by police, including literature on the role of media efforts and their impact upon police violence. The work concludes with an analysis of the reasons why people react so infrequently to incidents of excessive force.

This traditional A-to-Z reference has significant coverage of police and courts and other criminal justice sub-disciplines while also featuring thematic articles on the sociology of street crime.