Justice Systems Research Guide

Encyclopedias, Dictionaries, etc.

Atlas of Crime: Mapping the Criminal Landscape. Reference HV 6783 A85 2000
West's Encyclopedia of American Law. 13 vols. Reference KF 154 W47 2005
Encyclopedia of Crime and Justice. 4 vols. Reference HV 6017 E52 2002
Encyclopedia of Criminology and Deviant Behavior. 4 vols. Reference HV 6017 E53 2001
Encyclopedia of Forensic Sciences. 3 vols. Reference HV 8073 E43 2000
Encyclopedia of Police Science Reference HV 7901 .E53 1995
Encyclopedia of World Crime. 8 vols. Reference HV 6017 N37
Psychology of Terrorism. 4 vols. Reference HV 6431 P798 2002
Many more reference books are available in the Reference collection with call numbers beginning HV 6000.

Find Books

There are several types of searches you can do in the library catalog to locate books. Library catalogs contain subject headings used by the Library of Congress and most library users are not familiar with these predefined headings. Therefore it is always best to begin with a keyword search rather that a subject search when first going to the online catalog

drug court AND juvenile offenders                        juvenile delinquency OR juvenile crim*
education AND prisons                                         prisons OR jails OR incarceration

education AND (prisons OR jails)                          (female* OR wom*) AND violence


A few tips on the keyword searches above:

The asterisk * truncates a term and will retrieve all forms of the word that follow the truncation symbol. For example, crim* will retrieve crime, crimes, criminal, criminology. Wom* will retreive woman, women, women'sThe parentheses allows you to search for concepts similar in meaning and then combine these with a different term(s). Remember to always place your similar terms within parentheses when using AND & OR together, in one search statement.   Click here for a visual explanation of keyword searching.

Results from your keyword searches will help you identify appropriate subject headings that you can search under. Subject headings are terms and phrases created by the Library of Congress to describe all types of information. They range from very broad to very specific. Clicking on a subject heading can lead you to a more focused search and help you retrieve the most relevant items on your topic. Listed below are a number of Library of Congress subject headings dealing with crime, criminal justice and criminology:

crime United States
crime United States history
  drug abuse and crime
  alcoholism and crime
criminal justice, administration of -- United States -- History.
criminal behavior, prediction of
criminal investigation
criminal investigation United States
criminal procedure United States
criminal statistics United States
criminals rehabilitation United States
criminals United States biography
juvenile delinquents
criminology

You can also check the library catalog for videos and DVDs related to crime. For example, after doing a subject search for criminal justice, you can then click on the "Limit/Sort Search" button and choose VIDEOS/FILMS from the "Material Type" menu. Or, if you start out with a keyword search, such as crime AND punishment, you would click on the "Modify Search" button, and again, select VIDEOS/FILMS as your material type.

If Pickler Memorial Library doesn't have what you want, try your search in MOBIUS to find books in other libraries in Missouri. You can request books online and they will be delivered usually within 3-4 working days. This service is available to current Truman students, faculty, and staff.

Find Articles

Databases in this section are restricted to use on the Truman network unless otherwise indicated.

Criminal Justice Periodical Index, 1975+
In print 1975-1998: HV 6001 C756
Indexes periodical articles on all aspects of criminal justice.

SocIndex with Full Text. A comprehensive sociology research database with more than 1.9 million records and the full text for over 400 journals dating back to 1908. Also contains full text for more than 700 books and monographs and more than 6000 conference papers. This database also includes many citations and full text articles from major scholarly journals and trade publications in the areas of Criminology and Criminal Justice.

Academic Search Elite (EBSCO) 1985+
A multi-disciplinary database offering full text for over 1800 journals in all areas of academic study.

LexisNexis
Academic
Contains full text documents from over 5,900 news, business, legal, medical and reference sources. Sources include regional, national and international newspapers, news wires, magazines, trade journals and business publications, biographical information, corporate reports, etc. Major archives of federal and state case law, continuously updated statutes of all 50 states, as well as articles from law journals. Also contains Shepard's® Citations for all U.S. Supreme Court cases beginning in 1789. A recent addition: transcripts from the Arabic news channel, Al Jazeera (coverage: 1/2002 -current).
Congressional
Contains legislative information including full text of bills, laws, congressional reports. Information on pending legislation, hot topics, etc.

National Criminal Justice Reference Service Abstracts Database
Free to the public.
Contains summaries of more than 160,000 publications on criminal justice, including federal, state, and local government reports, books, research reports, journal articles, and unpublished research. Subject areas include corrections, courts, drugs and crime, law enforcement, juvenile justice, crime statistics, and victims of crime. Covers items published from early 1970's to the present.

PAIS International (Public Affairs Information Service)
On the Web through First Search, 1972+
In print 1915-1998. Reference H 1 P823
An interdisciplinary index to current periodical articles, books, government publications, pamphlets, and reports relating to global public policy and social issues. 3,600+ sources indexed. Click here to show journal list.

PsycINFO.
On the Web through FirstSearch, 1887+
In print 1927-1998: General Collection BF 1 P65
Produced by the American Psychological Association, PsycINFO contains summaries of the world's literature in psychology and related disciplines. Over 9,000 sources indexed including scholarly journal articles, books and book chapters, dissertations and reports. Click here to show journal list.

Social Sciences Abstracts.
On the Web through FirstSearch, 1983+
In print under various titles, 1907-1996: Reference AI 3 S6
This index covers about 550 journals in the areas of anthropology, economics, geography, law and criminology, psychology, sociology, and related topics. Come of the citations are to book reviews, interviews and biographies. Provides citations from 1983 to present and abstracts from 1994 to present. Click here to show journal list.

Print Indexes

Criminal Justice Abstracts, 1968-1996
Reference HV 6001 C752
Covers books, journal articles, dissertations and reports for all areas of criminal law.

Media Library

Our Media Library located on the second floor houses a large collection of videos, DVDs, as well as sound recordings and CD-ROMS. Below are a number of videos, DVDs or CD-ROMs that relate to some aspect of criminal justice and justice systems.

History of American Corrections Media Video HV 9304 .H57 2001
Crime in the United States, 1995-2002 U.S. Documents J 1.14/7-8:995-2002 (1 CD-ROM)
The Crime of Stalking: How Big is the Problem? U.S. Documents J 28.24/7: ST 1 1997 (WWW)
Crime and Punishment in America Media Video KF 9223 .C75 1997

Web Sites

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms
Bureau of Justice Statistics--Excellent resource for information on crime and criminal trends in the United States. Contains charts and graphs that "portray complex information with visual clarity." Many links to other sites such as the FBI's Uniform Crime Reports. Special Topics section includes information on "drugs and crime, reentry trends, and international statistics." An essential source for researching crime and the criminal justice system. CHOICE Reviews, September 2006

Famous Trials
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Federal Bureau of Investigation, Freedom of Information Act Electronic Reading Room -- Contains scanned documents from famous FBI cases. For example, there are files on people such as Bonnie and Clyde, John Lennon, Marilyn Monroe, Elvis, and Picasso; and files on events such as the Hindenburg disaster, Lindbergh kidnapping, and UFO sightings.
Federal Bureau of Prisons
Homeland Security Digital Database. A collection of homeland security policy, strategy and organizational documents
Interpol
Justice Information Center -- A service of the National Criminal Justice Research Service.
Legal Resource Guide---A guide to resources in Pickler Memorial Library.
Missouri Department of Corrections
Missouri Department of Public Safety
Missouri Judiciary
National Criminal Justice Reference Service--Areas include Corrections, Courts, Crime Prevention, Criminal Justice Statistics, Drugs and Crime, Juvenile Justice, Research and Evaluation, Law Enforcement and Victims.
National Institute of Corrections -- An arm of the Dept. of Justice.
Officer.com
U.S. Department of Justice
U.S. State Department Freedom of Information Act Electronic Reading Room -- Contains a collection of more than 13,000 declassified documents. Also includes some special interest collections related to topics of public interest such as the creation of the CIA, Amelia Earhart, and the murder of four churchwomen in 1980 in El Salvador.
U.S. Supreme Court
World Factbook of Criminal Justice Systems --provides narrative description of the criminal justice systems of countries around the world.

Comprehensive Sites

The Corrections Connection Network -- News and information sponsored by several correctional institutions.
Criminal Justice and Law -- Subject-based internet resources compiled by the Library, Rochester Institute of Technology.
Criminal Justice Links -- Florida State University School of Criminology & Criminal Justice.

Statistics

Bureau of Justice Statistics From the U.S. Department of Justice. "Undergraduate students can use this site quite successfully. Highly recommended for anyone in need of information on criminal justice." (CHOICE Magazine, Vol. 39 Special Issue, 2002).
Crime in the United States (Uniform Crime Reports) -- A city, county, and state law enforcement program which provides a nationwide view of crime based on the submission of statistics by law enforcement agencies throughout the country. Print volumes in Reference HV 6787 A32.

Criminal Justice Statistics -- Maintained by the National Criminal Justice Research Service.
Missouri Crime and Arrest Digest. (Print) Reference HV 6793 M8 M57.
Missouri Crime Summary. (Print) Reference HV 6787 M5
National Archive of Criminal Justice Data -- Provides computer-readable data for the study of crime and the criminal justice system.
National Crime Victimization Survey -- provides a detailed picture of crime incidents, victims and trends. Collects detailed information on the frequency and nature of the crimes of rape, sexual assault, personal robbery, aggravated and simple assault, household burglary, theft, and motor vehicle theft. It does not measure homicide or commercial crimes.
Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics Online -- brings together data about all aspects of criminal justice in the United States presented in over 600 tables from more than 100 sources. Also available in print: Reference HV 6787 S68

CITING SOURCES

There are several style manuals available in the library:

Chicago/Turabian Style

A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses and Dissertations
    General Collection LB 2369 .T8 1996
    Reference LB 2369 .T8 1996

APA Style

Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association
    General Collection   BF 76.7 .P83 2001
    Reserve BF 76.7 .P83 2001
    Reference BF 76.7 .P83 2001

MLA Style

         MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers
                General Collection LB 2396 .G53 2003
                Reserve LB 2369 .G53
                Reference LB 2369 .G53 2003

For additional style guides and information on citing Web sites and other electronic sources, click here.

For further assistance, visit or call the Reference Desk (660-785-4051) or contact the Reference Librarian for Counseling, Lisa Glaubitz, at (660) 785-7412, or email glaubitz@truman.edu

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