Very weak on international law, 17 Oct 2008
Ok on basic UK law but incredibly weak on international law including errors (The Inter-American system of Human Rights does not just cover South America. It covers all member states of the OAS including in North America, Central America, the Caribbean and South America, with differences depending on whether the American Convention has been ratified or not). Oxford - and lawyers - should not be so lazy.

Excellent, 25 Mar 2008
I have studied all aspects of Tort, Family, Business, Criminal, Property, Land, Contract Law and Civil and Criminal Litigation at Level 3 and every word I have wanted to look up has been in this dictionary. It has been my life line throughout my studies. A must have for all law students at every level.

Excellent for Uni Students (Year 1 and 2), 26 Jan 2008
I have just started my LLB(Hons) OU Law course and have used this many times. Great for any student studying Law at GCSE or LLB.

Great Stuff!!!

Love it!!!!!, 10 Jan 2008
No law student should be without a law dictionary... I bought this one last September because the last edition couldn't take another year of use!

Use my dictionary all the time, first place I go for every form of work!

Not so useful for Scottish Law Students, 14 Dec 2007
Hmm... The differences in terminology between the Scots and English Law systems is very evident in this book. I've owned it for 18 months, and more often than not it doesn't have what I need.

There are better (free!) online legal dictionary services.

Very weak on international law, 17 Oct 2008
Ok on basic UK law but incredibly weak on international law including errors (The Inter-American system of Human Rights does not just cover South America. It covers all member states of the OAS including in North America, Central America, the Caribbean and South America, with differences depending on whether the American Convention has been ratified or not). Oxford - and lawyers - should not be so lazy.

Excellent, 25 Mar 2008
I have studied all aspects of Tort, Family, Business, Criminal, Property, Land, Contract Law and Civil and Criminal Litigation at Level 3 and every word I have wanted to look up has been in this dictionary. It has been my life line throughout my studies. A must have for all law students at every level.

Excellent for Uni Students (Year 1 and 2), 26 Jan 2008
I have just started my LLB(Hons) OU Law course and have used this many times. Great for any student studying Law at GCSE or LLB.

Great Stuff!!!

Love it!!!!!, 10 Jan 2008
No law student should be without a law dictionary... I bought this one last September because the last edition couldn't take another year of use!

Use my dictionary all the time, first place I go for every form of work!

Not so useful for Scottish Law Students, 14 Dec 2007
Hmm... The differences in terminology between the Scots and English Law systems is very evident in this book. I've owned it for 18 months, and more often than not it doesn't have what I need.

There are better (free!) online legal dictionary services.

Police Review is not needed, 21 Aug 2008
Much better than the old Law Files and you don't need Police Review for a study timetable, there are other OSPRE training providers who also produce one

Don't consider taking the exam without having read these, 26 Sep 2002
I'm really not very keen on sitting the Police promotion examination but with 17 years service I suppose the time has come to think about finally applying myself. So, to study...
If spare time is something you're short of because, let's face it, you've probably got a life that work already gets in the way of, these Manuals are a must for you.
Easy to read and understand they are well structured and contain plenty of relevant case law examples.
The added beauty of them is that the Police Review promotion section is actually structured to work alongside them so you get the benefit of someone else calculating your study programme for you in case you're not up to it yourself.
Now the only excuse for everyone else around you being promoted is you!

Very weak on international law, 17 Oct 2008
Ok on basic UK law but incredibly weak on international law including errors (The Inter-American system of Human Rights does not just cover South America. It covers all member states of the OAS including in North America, Central America, the Caribbean and South America, with differences depending on whether the American Convention has been ratified or not). Oxford - and lawyers - should not be so lazy.

Excellent, 25 Mar 2008
I have studied all aspects of Tort, Family, Business, Criminal, Property, Land, Contract Law and Civil and Criminal Litigation at Level 3 and every word I have wanted to look up has been in this dictionary. It has been my life line throughout my studies. A must have for all law students at every level.

Excellent for Uni Students (Year 1 and 2), 26 Jan 2008
I have just started my LLB(Hons) OU Law course and have used this many times. Great for any student studying Law at GCSE or LLB.

Great Stuff!!!

Love it!!!!!, 10 Jan 2008
No law student should be without a law dictionary... I bought this one last September because the last edition couldn't take another year of use!

Use my dictionary all the time, first place I go for every form of work!

Not so useful for Scottish Law Students, 14 Dec 2007
Hmm... The differences in terminology between the Scots and English Law systems is very evident in this book. I've owned it for 18 months, and more often than not it doesn't have what I need.

There are better (free!) online legal dictionary services.

Police Review is not needed, 21 Aug 2008
Much better than the old Law Files and you don't need Police Review for a study timetable, there are other OSPRE training providers who also produce one

Don't consider taking the exam without having read these, 26 Sep 2002
I'm really not very keen on sitting the Police promotion examination but with 17 years service I suppose the time has come to think about finally applying myself. So, to study...
If spare time is something you're short of because, let's face it, you've probably got a life that work already gets in the way of, these Manuals are a must for you.
Easy to read and understand they are well structured and contain plenty of relevant case law examples.
The added beauty of them is that the Police Review promotion section is actually structured to work alongside them so you get the benefit of someone else calculating your study programme for you in case you're not up to it yourself.
Now the only excuse for everyone else around you being promoted is you!

The Oxford Handbook of Criminology, 08 Oct 2008

this book was recommended to me by my Criminology module tutor on my law degree course. I have found it helpful, and there is much detail, yet at the same time it is readable. Probably the most helpful textbook on Criminology for degree level that you will find.

Superb , 04 Apr 2008
This is the leading modern text in criminology, comprehensive and authoritative, written by 35 distinguished British contributors. The editors are Mike Maguire, Professor of Criminology at Cardiff University, Rod Morgan, Chairman of the Youth Justice Board of England and Wales and Professor Emeritus at Bristol University, and Robert Reiner, Professor of Criminology at the London School of Economics.

It has five parts: the history and theory of criminology, the social construction of crime and crime control, the dimensions of crime, the forms of crime, and reactions to crime. It covers research and policy developments and their relationship to race, gender, youth culture and political economy.

The evidence is that the serious violent crime rate is much higher in Thatcherite political economies than in welfarist ones. As Reiner writes, there is a plethora of material confirming that crime of all kinds is linked to inequality, relative deprivation, and unemployment. So, for example, the rise in crime in Britain in the 1980s was due to what happened in the 1980s: naturally Thatcher blamed it on what had happened 20 years before. And it was the 1980s, not the 1960s, that saw the dramatic rise in opiate use here.

The evidence shows that states with higher welfare spending have less crime and lower imprisonment rates. For every dollar spent, Michigans Head Start welfare programme brought $17 of benefit by cutting crime, thereby cutting the numbers imprisoned and thus the costs of imprisonment.

Of course, recognising that crime has root causes does not stop us exploring all possible avenues of crime reduction, victim support and penal reform. Nor does it mean ignoring offenders moral responsibility. Understanding does not cancel the need for judgment.

Thatcherite political economies also have more punitive penal policies. Yet welfarist Sweden has had a smaller rise in crime than Britain, while having a less punitive penal policy. Similarly, Finland has dramatically cut its prison numbers, without increasing crime.

Growing economic inequality and social polarisation increase crime and therefore insecurity and fear. We cannot afford to leave the economy, or society or security to the market. We need to take responsibility for all aspects of our society.



Absolutely outstanding., 22 Jul 2007
Right. I guess I should precis this review by stating quite explicitly that I'm a raging criminology geek. I was determined not to write a review until I had read the OHC cover-to-cover. And it has been well worth the experience. I went into the second year of a Criminology BSc with no criminological background, and decided to spend a couple of months before the start of term reading the third edition cover to cover. I feel that the background the OHC gave me provided a springboard for getting a first. The outstanding wealth and depth of knowledge has to be seen to be believed - I would happily be giving it away as a birthday present left, right and center if it wasn't for the sure and certain knowledge that doing so would get me a hearty slap from my non-criminological family.

I am starting a Masters (hopefully leading into a PhD) this October; given that the 3rd edition seemed to give me a huge amount, I decided to do my best to read the 4th edition cover to cover before October. My copy is now dog-eared, much-loved, and covered liberally in pencil scrawls. I feel far, far more comfortable at the prospect of going back into academia having spent just over a year in very non-academic work.

The one real tragedy for me is the conflation of Loraine Gelsthorpe's and Frances Heidensohn's chapters. In the third edition, they respectively covered Feminism and Criminology and Gender and Crime. In the fourth edition, they co-author a single chapter on Gender and Crime. I personally find it deeply frustrating that two beautifully written, detailed and very discrete chapters have been merged into one. Loraine Gelsthorpe's chapter on feminism and criminology was my introduction to feminist criminology - something I have every intention of carrying into my MPhil / (hopefully) PhD. I found the third edition's coverage of both gender AND feminism both highly appropriate, and absolutely fascinating. The conflation of the two chapters into one to my mind leaves something seriously lacking. And maybe the omission of a chapter on feminism and criminology says something and makes a statement in its own right. The chapter on gender and crime is very well written and contains aspects of both preceding chapters; but the idea that two discrete chapters each of forty pages can be combined into one chapter of forty pages without significant loss is ridiculous. I would recommend with all my heart that anyone with an interest in gender and crime / feminist criminology at least borrows a copy of the third edition. There is a wealth of additional colour and texture there that substantially fired up my interest in criminology.

Aside from that, the online chapters do add something invaluable to the fourth edition. It is a self-contained, beautifully comprehensive and more-than-sufficient edition in itself; but the addition of Jock Young, Barbara Hudson, David Garland and Ken Pease's chapters online do add yet another level of depth. Jock Young and David Garland in particular were two of the chapters that stood out the most to me from the third edition, and two of the chapters that I have gone back to time and time again. The OHC is richer for having them available. At the risk of harping on, though - I wish that Dr. Gelsthorpe's and Professor Heidensohn's chapters were on the OHC website too. They really are the one substantial omission in my eyes. And that - I promise - is the last of that particular tub-thumping spree.

In brief, I cannot recommend this book enough. To anyone, but particularly budding / current criminologists. There is such a wealth of detail in there, from the first two introductory chapters (sociological and psychological approaches) right through to the last two on community penalties and imprisonment. It is not heavygoing; it is not unduly challenging. With the possible exception of Media-Made Criminality, that is - which frankly lost me. Huge reams of statistics with remarkably little coherence to my eyes. Oddly enough, I felt the very next chapter (political economy, crime and criminal justice) is one of the best in the book, and by the self-same author.

Jock Young pulls off something similar - the only other chapter in the book to mildly vex me was the one on Cultural Criminology (done far better - though admittedly in a rather more inaccessible way - by Jeff Ferrell in the book Criminological Perspectives). And yet Crime and Social Exclusion in the third edition remains one of the most solid and interesting chapters in either book.

All in all, I've wittered enough. If your degree / course is worth thirty-whatever quid to you and you're willing to put in the effort, then go for it. If it isn't and / or you aren't, then don't. This book has the hallmark of quality stamped firmly right through it, and there's certainly nothing else criminological out there that can hope to compete in terms of either quality or value for money.

BUY IT!, 18 Nov 2006
This book is a must have for criminology students. I bought this book and 2 others but have not needed to use those. This has everything you need to know and more.

Essential for criminologists, 18 Nov 2006
I love this book. It seriously helped me through my criminology degree at uni - and I ended up with a 1st. It covers just about every topic you need. Definately a very wise investment.

Very weak on international law, 17 Oct 2008
Ok on basic UK law but incredibly weak on international law including errors (The Inter-American system of Human Rights does not just cover South America. It covers all member states of the OAS including in North America, Central America, the Caribbean and South America, with differences depending on whether the American Convention has been ratified or not). Oxford - and lawyers - should not be so lazy.

Excellent, 25 Mar 2008
I have studied all aspects of Tort, Family, Business, Criminal, Property, Land, Contract Law and Civil and Criminal Litigation at Level 3 and every word I have wanted to look up has been in this dictionary. It has been my life line throughout my studies. A must have for all law students at every level.

Excellent for Uni Students (Year 1 and 2), 26 Jan 2008
I have just started my LLB(Hons) OU Law course and have used this many times. Great for any student studying Law at GCSE or LLB.

Great Stuff!!!

Love it!!!!!, 10 Jan 2008
No law student should be without a law dictionary... I bought this one last September because the last edition couldn't take another year of use!

Use my dictionary all the time, first place I go for every form of work!

Not so useful for Scottish Law Students, 14 Dec 2007
Hmm... The differences in terminology between the Scots and English Law systems is very evident in this book. I've owned it for 18 months, and more often than not it doesn't have what I need.

There are better (free!) online legal dictionary services.

Police Review is not needed, 21 Aug 2008
Much better than the old Law Files and you don't need Police Review for a study timetable, there are other OSPRE training providers who also produce one

Don't consider taking the exam without having read these, 26 Sep 2002
I'm really not very keen on sitting the Police promotion examination but with 17 years service I suppose the time has come to think about finally applying myself. So, to study...
If spare time is something you're short of because, let's face it, you've probably got a life that work already gets in the way of, these Manuals are a must for you.
Easy to read and understand they are well structured and contain plenty of relevant case law examples.
The added beauty of them is that the Police Review promotion section is actually structured to work alongside them so you get the benefit of someone else calculating your study programme for you in case you're not up to it yourself.
Now the only excuse for everyone else around you being promoted is you!

The Oxford Handbook of Criminology, 08 Oct 2008

this book was recommended to me by my Criminology module tutor on my law degree course. I have found it helpful, and there is much detail, yet at the same time it is readable. Probably the most helpful textbook on Criminology for degree level that you will find.

Superb , 04 Apr 2008
This is the leading modern text in criminology, comprehensive and authoritative, written by 35 distinguished British contributors. The editors are Mike Maguire, Professor of Criminology at Cardiff University, Rod Morgan, Chairman of the Youth Justice Board of England and Wales and Professor Emeritus at Bristol University, and Robert Reiner, Professor of Criminology at the London School of Economics.

It has five parts: the history and theory of criminology, the social construction of crime and crime control, the dimensions of crime, the forms of crime, and reactions to crime. It covers research and policy developments and their relationship to race, gender, youth culture and political economy.

The evidence is that the serious violent crime rate is much higher in Thatcherite political economies than in welfarist ones. As Reiner writes, there is a plethora of material confirming that crime of all kinds is linked to inequality, relative deprivation, and unemployment. So, for example, the rise in crime in Britain in the 1980s was due to what happened in the 1980s: naturally Thatcher blamed it on what had happened 20 years before. And it was the 1980s, not the 1960s, that saw the dramatic rise in opiate use here.

The evidence shows that states with higher welfare spending have less crime and lower imprisonment rates. For every dollar spent, Michigans Head Start welfare programme brought $17 of benefit by cutting crime, thereby cutting the numbers imprisoned and thus the costs of imprisonment.

Of course, recognising that crime has root causes does not stop us exploring all possible avenues of crime reduction, victim support and penal reform. Nor does it mean ignoring offenders moral responsibility. Understanding does not cancel the need for judgment.

Thatcherite political economies also have more punitive penal policies. Yet welfarist Sweden has had a smaller rise in crime than Britain, while having a less punitive penal policy. Similarly, Finland has dramatically cut its prison numbers, without increasing crime.

Growing economic inequality and social polarisation increase crime and therefore insecurity and fear. We cannot afford to leave the economy, or society or security to the market. We need to take responsibility for all aspects of our society.



Absolutely outstanding., 22 Jul 2007
Right. I guess I should precis this review by stating quite explicitly that I'm a raging criminology geek. I was determined not to write a review until I had read the OHC cover-to-cover. And it has been well worth the experience. I went into the second year of a Criminology BSc with no criminological background, and decided to spend a couple of months before the start of term reading the third edition cover to cover. I feel that the background the OHC gave me provided a springboard for getting a first. The outstanding wealth and depth of knowledge has to be seen to be believed - I would happily be giving it away as a birthday present left, right and center if it wasn't for the sure and certain knowledge that doing so would get me a hearty slap from my non-criminological family.

I am starting a Masters (hopefully leading into a PhD) this October; given that the 3rd edition seemed to give me a huge amount, I decided to do my best to read the 4th edition cover to cover before October. My copy is now dog-eared, much-loved, and covered liberally in pencil scrawls. I feel far, far more comfortable at the prospect of going back into academia having spent just over a year in very non-academic work.

The one real tragedy for me is the conflation of Loraine Gelsthorpe's and Frances Heidensohn's chapters. In the third edition, they respectively covered Feminism and Criminology and Gender and Crime. In the fourth edition, they co-author a single chapter on Gender and Crime. I personally find it deeply frustrating that two beautifully written, detailed and very discrete chapters have been merged into one. Loraine Gelsthorpe's chapter on feminism and criminology was my introduction to feminist criminology - something I have every intention of carrying into my MPhil / (hopefully) PhD. I found the third edition's coverage of both gender AND feminism both highly appropriate, and absolutely fascinating. The conflation of the two chapters into one to my mind leaves something seriously lacking. And maybe the omission of a chapter on feminism and criminology says something and makes a statement in its own right. The chapter on gender and crime is very well written and contains aspects of both preceding chapters; but the idea that two discrete chapters each of forty pages can be combined into one chapter of forty pages without significant loss is ridiculous. I would recommend with all my heart that anyone with an interest in gender and crime / feminist criminology at least borrows a copy of the third edition. There is a wealth of additional colour and texture there that substantially fired up my interest in criminology.

Aside from that, the online chapters do add something invaluable to the fourth edition. It is a self-contained, beautifully comprehensive and more-than-sufficient edition in itself; but the addition of Jock Young, Barbara Hudson, David Garland and Ken Pease's chapters online do add yet another level of depth. Jock Young and David Garland in particular were two of the chapters that stood out the most to me from the third edition, and two of the chapters that I have gone back to time and time again. The OHC is richer for having them available. At the risk of harping on, though - I wish that Dr. Gelsthorpe's and Professor Heidensohn's chapters were on the OHC website too. They really are the one substantial omission in my eyes. And that - I promise - is the last of that particular tub-thumping spree.

In brief, I cannot recommend this book enough. To anyone, but particularly budding / current criminologists. There is such a wealth of detail in there, from the first two introductory chapters (sociological and psychological approaches) right through to the last two on community penalties and imprisonment. It is not heavygoing; it is not unduly challenging. With the possible exception of Media-Made Criminality, that is - which frankly lost me. Huge reams of statistics with remarkably little coherence to my eyes. Oddly enough, I felt the very next chapter (political economy, crime and criminal justice) is one of the best in the book, and by the self-same author.

Jock Young pulls off something similar - the only other chapter in the book to mildly vex me was the one on Cultural Criminology (done far better - though admittedly in a rather more inaccessible way - by Jeff Ferrell in the book Criminological Perspectives). And yet Crime and Social Exclusion in the third edition remains one of the most solid and interesting chapters in either book.

All in all, I've wittered enough. If your degree / course is worth thirty-whatever quid to you and you're willing to put in the effort, then go for it. If it isn't and / or you aren't, then don't. This book has the hallmark of quality stamped firmly right through it, and there's certainly nothing else criminological out there that can hope to compete in terms of either quality or value for money.

BUY IT!, 18 Nov 2006
This book is a must have for criminology students. I bought this book and 2 others but have not needed to use those. This has everything you need to know and more.

Essential for criminologists, 18 Nov 2006
I love this book. It seriously helped me through my criminology degree at uni - and I ended up with a 1st. It covers just about every topic you need. Definately a very wise investment.

I'm on the CPE course at the mo and..., 25 Sep 2008
... I've been given a take home test that if I don't pass I will be off the course. I bought a series of books in the summer leading up to the start of the course, highly rated ones I'll have you know. All those books are completely useless. But not this one! (Actually that's a bit harsh on the other books, they're good for contextualising my learning.) Anyway, back to the point; if this book was a pint it would be a John Smiths i.e NO NONSENSE.

Anything you want to know it tells you, and it doesn't faff about like the other books. If you want to do well on the CPE you cannot depend on the law express series, nevertheless it's style goes straight for the jugular of law, so you're not sitting there trying to cut the wheat from the chaff for hours. It's like the mate who tells you how it is, and everyone needs a mate like that. If you don't have a mate like that then you need to get one. Failing that, get this book. Even if you don't do law. There... I've said what I have to say.

Oh look, here come the nurses. Back to the straitjacket I go... it was nice while it lasted.

A good Introduction, 22 Mar 2008
This is a good book, but does not cover enough depth. Its a good introduction to each topic area and gives you some good details, however it does sometimes seem to go off-track and does not have a continuous flow. For example you can be reading something and suddenly refers to something else.

However this is a good book and I recommend it to anyone interested in law or wants it a revision book but if you're wanting more depth or for your studies this is not the right book.

Surprisingly useful, 25 Dec 2007
I was surprised by how much I liked this book.. Recommended texts are so often dull and unhelpful, or don't match your syllabus...But this one was great. It was clear, and each part linked nicely with the next. It wasn't concise, but then law books do not tend to be! A good basis for learning in detail about the English Legal System.

Its not just for revision, 08 Oct 2007
Don't tell anyone but... I bought this instead of the set textbook.

Let's be honest. How many of you actually read all the boring bumph in English Legal Systems textbooks? It has to be the driest subject in the world and it is written about and taught by people who cannot be bothered to make it interesting. I tried to read the first chapter of the dire Legal Systems book that we'd been told to read and I just thought life is too short for this. So I took the book back to the bookshop and got my refund and bought this little lifesaver instead and had money left over to buy other stuff.

It is cheap, to the point and reasonably interesting. I managed every tutorial on this book and my exam and I did fine. There was never anything that I needed to know that wasn't in here - in fact, I came up with a couple of points in one tutorial that nobody else had from reading the set text. I used it for my coursework too and got a decent mark. There are clues on how to do coursework and exams in here that you don't get in the other books and pointers to things to read that will help you with the content if you need more detail. There is a website that goes with the book too that has tests on so you know how much you know or don't know.

So buy this English Legal System Express book. It is a fraction of the price and a fraction of the boredom of the other books and it tells you everything you need to know.

Couldn't really get on with it., 08 Oct 2007
Of all my subjects English Legal Systems is the one that is a bit of a struggle. Not because it is difficult but because it just seems to dull. My lecturer seems bored herself which doesn't help and neither did recommending this dire book to us. It definitely falls into the category of one of these set texts that you buy because you are told to, try to read once or twice and then abandon to sit in pristine condition on your bookshelf ready to sell at the second hand book sale as 'no markings or highlighting but a really useful book' in the hope that some poor unsuspecting first year will buy it and at least give you some money back. I don't think that Legal Systems need to be complicated and detailed. It needs to be clear and what it really needs is to be linked with other subjects. Has anyone every mentioned precedent to you in any subject other than Legal Systems? My advice would either to buy a heavyweight book like the book by T. Ingram or to buy one of the short snappy ones that give you all that you need in one bitesize and relatively painfree chunck like the Law Express one. But whatever you do buy, give this one a miss. I think that all students should read the at least one chapter of any book before they buy it so that they can weed out the dross rather than unquestioningly buying stuff off the reading list.

Very weak on international law, 17 Oct 2008
Ok on basic UK law but incredibly weak on international law including errors (The Inter-American system of Human Rights does not just cover South America. It covers all member states of the OAS including in North America, Central America, the Caribbean and South America, with differences depending on whether the American Convention has been ratified or not). Oxford - and lawyers - should not be so lazy.

Excellent, 25 Mar 2008
I have studied all aspects of Tort, Family, Business, Criminal, Property, Land, Contract Law and Civil and Criminal Litigation at Level 3 and every word I have wanted to look up has been in this dictionary. It has been my life line throughout my studies. A must have for all law students at every level.

Excellent for Uni Students (Year 1 and 2), 26 Jan 2008
I have just started my LLB(Hons) OU Law course and have used this many times. Great for any student studying Law at GCSE or LLB.

Great Stuff!!!

Love it!!!!!, 10 Jan 2008
No law student should be without a law dictionary... I bought this one last September because the last edition couldn't take another year of use!

Use my dictionary all the time, first place I go for every form of work!

Not so useful for Scottish Law Students, 14 Dec 2007
Hmm... The differences in terminology between the Scots and English Law systems is very evident in this book. I've owned it for 18 months, and more often than not it doesn't have what I need.

There are better (free!) online legal dictionary services.

Police Review is not needed, 21 Aug 2008
Much better than the old Law Files and you don't need Police Review for a study timetable, there are other OSPRE training providers who also produce one

Don't consider taking the exam without having read these, 26 Sep 2002
I'm really not very keen on sitting the Police promotion examination but with 17 years service I suppose the time has come to think about finally applying myself. So, to study...
If spare time is something you're short of because, let's face it, you've probably got a life that work already gets in the way of, these Manuals are a must for you.
Easy to read and understand they are well structured and contain plenty of relevant case law examples.
The added beauty of them is that the Police Review promotion section is actually structured to work alongside them so you get the benefit of someone else calculating your study programme for you in case you're not up to it yourself.
Now the only excuse for everyone else around you being promoted is you!

The Oxford Handbook of Criminology, 08 Oct 2008

this book was recommended to me by my Criminology module tutor on my law degree course. I have found it helpful, and there is much detail, yet at the same time it is readable. Probably the most helpful textbook on Criminology for degree level that you will find.

Superb , 04 Apr 2008
This is the leading modern text in criminology, comprehensive and authoritative, written by 35 distinguished British contributors. The editors are Mike Maguire, Professor of Criminology at Cardiff University, Rod Morgan, Chairman of the Youth Justice Board of England and Wales and Professor Emeritus at Bristol University, and Robert Reiner, Professor of Criminology at the London School of Economics.

It has five parts: the history and theory of criminology, the social construction of crime and crime control, the dimensions of crime, the forms of crime, and reactions to crime. It covers research and policy developments and their relationship to race, gender, youth culture and political economy.

The evidence is that the serious violent crime rate is much higher in Thatcherite political economies than in welfarist ones. As Reiner writes, there is a plethora of material confirming that crime of all kinds is linked to inequality, relative deprivation, and unemployment. So, for example, the rise in crime in Britain in the 1980s was due to what happened in the 1980s: naturally Thatcher blamed it on what had happened 20 years before. And it was the 1980s, not the 1960s, that saw the dramatic rise in opiate use here.

The evidence shows that states with higher welfare spending have less crime and lower imprisonment rates. For every dollar spent, Michigans Head Start welfare programme brought $17 of benefit by cutting crime, thereby cutting the numbers imprisoned and thus the costs of imprisonment.

Of course, recognising that crime has root causes does not stop us exploring all possible avenues of crime reduction, victim support and penal reform. Nor does it mean ignoring offenders moral responsibility. Understanding does not cancel the need for judgment.

Thatcherite political economies also have more punitive penal policies. Yet welfarist Sweden has had a smaller rise in crime than Britain, while having a less punitive penal policy. Similarly, Finland has dramatically cut its prison numbers, without increasing crime.

Growing economic inequality and social polarisation increase crime and therefore insecurity and fear. We cannot afford to leave the economy, or society or security to the market. We need to take responsibility for all aspects of our society.



Absolutely outstanding., 22 Jul 2007
Right. I guess I should precis this review by stating quite explicitly that I'm a raging criminology geek. I was determined not to write a review until I had read the OHC cover-to-cover. And it has been well worth the experience. I went into the second year of a Criminology BSc with no criminological background, and decided to spend a couple of months before the start of term reading the third edition cover to cover. I feel that the background the OHC gave me provided a springboard for getting a first. The outstanding wealth and depth of knowledge has to be seen to be believed - I would happily be giving it away as a birthday present left, right and center if it wasn't for the sure and certain knowledge that doing so would get me a hearty slap from my non-criminological family.

I am starting a Masters (hopefully leading into a PhD) this October; given that the 3rd edition seemed to give me a huge amount, I decided to do my best to read the 4th edition cover to cover before October. My copy is now dog-eared, much-loved, and covered liberally in pencil scrawls. I feel far, far more comfortable at the prospect of going back into academia having spent just over a year in very non-academic work.

The one real tragedy for me is the conflation of Loraine Gelsthorpe's and Frances Heidensohn's chapters. In the third edition, they respectively covered Feminism and Criminology and Gender and Crime. In the fourth edition, they co-author a single chapter on Gender and Crime. I personally find it deeply frustrating that two beautifully written, detailed and very discrete chapters have been merged into one. Loraine Gelsthorpe's chapter on feminism and criminology was my introduction to feminist criminology - something I have every intention of carrying into my MPhil / (hopefully) PhD. I found the third edition's coverage of both gender AND feminism both highly appropriate, and absolutely fascinating. The conflation of the two chapters into one to my mind leaves something seriously lacking. And maybe the omission of a chapter on feminism and criminology says something and makes a statement in its own right. The chapter on gender and crime is very well written and contains aspects of both preceding chapters; but the idea that two discrete chapters each of forty pages can be combined into one chapter of forty pages without significant loss is ridiculous. I would recommend with all my heart that anyone with an interest in gender and crime / feminist criminology at least borrows a copy of the third edition. There is a wealth of additional colour and texture there that substantially fired up my interest in criminology.

Aside from that, the online chapters do add something invaluable to the fourth edition. It is a self-contained, beautifully comprehensive and more-than-sufficient edition in itself; but the addition of Jock Young, Barbara Hudson, David Garland and Ken Pease's chapters online do add yet another level of depth. Jock Young and David Garland in particular were two of the chapters that stood out the most to me from the third edition, and two of the chapters that I have gone back to time and time again. The OHC is richer for having them available. At the risk of harping on, though - I wish that Dr. Gelsthorpe's and Professor Heidensohn's chapters were on the OHC website too. They really are the one substantial omission in my eyes. And that - I promise - is the last of that particular tub-thumping spree.

In brief, I cannot recommend this book enough. To anyone, but particularly budding / current criminologists. There is such a wealth of detail in there, from the first two introductory chapters (sociological and psychological approaches) right through to the last two on community penalties and imprisonment. It is not heavygoing; it is not unduly challenging. With the possible exception of Media-Made Criminality, that is - which frankly lost me. Huge reams of statistics with remarkably little coherence to my eyes. Oddly enough, I felt the very next chapter (political economy, crime and criminal justice) is one of the best in the book, and by the self-same author.

Jock Young pulls off something similar - the only other chapter in the book to mildly vex me was the one on Cultural Criminology (done far better - though admittedly in a rather more inaccessible way - by Jeff Ferrell in the book Criminological Perspectives). And yet Crime and Social Exclusion in the third edition remains one of the most solid and interesting chapters in either book.

All in all, I've wittered enough. If your degree / course is worth thirty-whatever quid to you and you're willing to put in the effort, then go for it. If it isn't and / or you aren't, then don't. This book has the hallmark of quality stamped firmly right through it, and there's certainly nothing else criminological out there that can hope to compete in terms of either quality or value for money.

BUY IT!, 18 Nov 2006
This book is a must have for criminology students. I bought this book and 2 others but have not needed to use those. This has everything you need to know and more.

Essential for criminologists, 18 Nov 2006
I love this book. It seriously helped me through my criminology degree at uni - and I ended up with a 1st. It covers just about every topic you need. Definately a very wise investment.

I'm on the CPE course at the mo and..., 25 Sep 2008
... I've been given a take home test that if I don't pass I will be off the course. I bought a series of books in the summer leading up to the start of the course, highly rated ones I'll have you know. All those books are completely useless. But not this one! (Actually that's a bit harsh on the other books, they're good for contextualising my learning.) Anyway, back to the point; if this book was a pint it would be a John Smiths i.e NO NONSENSE.

Anything you want to know it tells you, and it doesn't faff about like the other books. If you want to do well on the CPE you cannot depend on the law express series, nevertheless it's style goes straight for the jugular of law, so you're not sitting there trying to cut the wheat from the chaff for hours. It's like the mate who tells you how it is, and everyone needs a mate like that. If you don't have a mate like that then you need to get one. Failing that, get this book. Even if you don't do law. There... I've said what I have to say.

Oh look, here come the nurses. Back to the straitjacket I go... it was nice while it lasted.

A good Introduction, 22 Mar 2008
This is a good book, but does not cover enough depth. Its a good introduction to each topic area and gives you some good details, however it does sometimes seem to go off-track and does not have a continuous flow. For example you can be reading something and suddenly refers to something else.

However this is a good book and I recommend it to anyone interested in law or wants it a revision book but if you're wanting more depth or for your studies this is not the right book.

Surprisingly useful, 25 Dec 2007
I was surprised by how much I liked this book.. Recommended texts are so often dull and unhelpful, or don't match your syllabus...But this one was great. It was clear, and each part linked nicely with the next. It wasn't concise, but then law books do not tend to be! A good basis for learning in detail about the English Legal System.

Its not just for revision, 08 Oct 2007
Don't tell anyone but... I bought this instead of the set textbook.

Let's be honest. How many of you actually read all the boring bumph in English Legal Systems textbooks? It has to be the driest subject in the world and it is written about and taught by people who cannot be bothered to make it interesting. I tried to read the first chapter of the dire Legal Systems book that we'd been told to read and I just thought life is too short for this. So I took the book back to the bookshop and got my refund and bought this little lifesaver instead and had money left over to buy other stuff.

It is cheap, to the point and reasonably interesting. I managed every tutorial on this book and my exam and I did fine. There was never anything that I needed to know that wasn't in here - in fact, I came up with a couple of points in one tutorial that nobody else had from reading the set text. I used it for my coursework too and got a decent mark. There are clues on how to do coursework and exams in here that you don't get in the other books and pointers to things to read that will help you with the content if you need more detail. There is a website that goes with the book too that has tests on so you know how much you know or don't know.

So buy this English Legal System Express book. It is a fraction of the price and a fraction of the boredom of the other books and it tells you everything you need to know.

Couldn't really get on with it., 08 Oct 2007
Of all my subjects English Legal Systems is the one that is a bit of a struggle. Not because it is difficult but because it just seems to dull. My lecturer seems bored herself which doesn't help and neither did recommending this dire book to us. It definitely falls into the category of one of these set texts that you buy because you are told to, try to read once or twice and then abandon to sit in pristine condition on your bookshelf ready to sell at the second hand book sale as 'no markings or highlighting but a really useful book' in the hope that some poor unsuspecting first year will buy it and at least give you some money back. I don't think that Legal Systems need to be complicated and detailed. It needs to be clear and what it really needs is to be linked with other subjects. Has anyone every mentioned precedent to you in any subject other than Legal Systems? My advice would either to buy a heavyweight book like the book by T. Ingram or to buy one of the short snappy ones that give you all that you need in one bitesize and relatively painfree chunck like the Law Express one. But whatever you do buy, give this one a miss. I think that all students should read the at least one chapter of any book before they buy it so that they can weed out the dross rather than unquestioningly buying stuff off the reading list.

The only practical journalism book you really need, 04 Jun 2008
As a working journalist, this is the only book I (and every colleague I've ever worked with on any newsdesk) reach for time and time again. Not only is it bang up to date, it explains all aspects of reporting law clearly and succinctly.
Unsure of what libel is? How to defend against it? Are you in contempt of court? Breaching the Official Secrets Act? Taking photographs of children? Invading somebody's privacy? McNae's knows. And it's written in a way to tell you quickly.
It's known as The Bible in the regional newsrooms I've worked in all my life - and it's easy to see why when you read it. I can't recommend this highly enough: EVERY reporter should have their own copy.

19th edition, and you can see why, 15 Feb 2008
This is the 19th edition of McNae's, and it doesn't take long to see why. It's updated in response to changes in legislation, and if you rely on having an accurate understanding of the law for journalism, it will almost certainly pay to stay up to date.

This is a set book for journalists doing NCTJs, and, from our point of view, an essential reference in our PR department -- alongside the Press Complaints Commission code poster up on the wall.

Journalism and the law are two things on which many people have opinions. There are lots of people who will quite happily say in a meeting "it's against the law to...", "newspapers are required by law to...", "they won't be allowed to print...". Unfortunately, a lot of this 'knowledge' is second or third hand, and much of it dates back to legislation or cases that have now been superseded. A lot of the rest of it is gleaned from conversations in pubs, and articles in newspapers. In other words, of very little value.

This book is the antidote: updated from the most recent changes and the most recent cases, and adopting exactly the right tone when it comes to describing things which are subject to being tested in the courts. And it's an awful lot cheaper than ringing up a lawyer.

Strongly recommended for anyone who actually needs to know.

Very weak on international law, 17 Oct 2008
Ok on basic UK law but incredibly weak on international law including errors (The Inter-American system of Human Rights does not just cover South America. It covers all member states of the OAS including in North America, Central America, the Caribbean and South America, with differences depending on whether the American Convention has been ratified or not). Oxford - and lawyers - should not be so lazy.

Excellent, 25 Mar 2008
I have studied all aspects of Tort, Family, Business, Criminal, Property, Land, Contract Law and Civil and Criminal Litigation at Level 3 and every word I have wanted to look up has been in this dictionary. It has been my life line throughout my studies. A must have for all law students at every level.

Excellent for Uni Students (Year 1 and 2), 26 Jan 2008
I have just started my LLB(Hons) OU Law course and have used this many times. Great for any student studying Law at GCSE or LLB.

Great Stuff!!!

Love it!!!!!, 10 Jan 2008
No law student should be without a law dictionary... I bought this one last September because the last edition couldn't take another year of use!

Use my dictionary all the time, first place I go for every form of work!

Not so useful for Scottish Law Students, 14 Dec 2007
Hmm... The differences in terminology between the Scots and English Law systems is very evident in this book. I've owned it for 18 months, and more often than not it doesn't have what I need.

There are better (free!) online legal dictionary services.

Police Review is not needed, 21 Aug 2008
Much better than the old Law Files and you don't need Police Review for a study timetable, there are other OSPRE training providers who also produce one

Don't consider taking the exam without having read these, 26 Sep 2002
I'm really not very keen on sitting the Police promotion examination but with 17 years service I suppose the time has come to think about finally applying myself. So, to study...
If spare time is something you're short of because, let's face it, you've probably got a life that work already gets in the way of, these Manuals are a must for you.
Easy to read and understand they are well structured and contain plenty of relevant case law examples.
The added beauty of them is that the Police Review promotion section is actually structured to work alongside them so you get the benefit of someone else calculating your study programme for you in case you're not up to it yourself.
Now the only excuse for everyone else around you being promoted is you!

The Oxford Handbook of Criminology, 08 Oct 2008

this book was recommended to me by my Criminology module tutor on my law degree course. I have found it helpful, and there is much detail, yet at the same time it is readable. Probably the most helpful textbook on Criminology for degree level that you will find.

Superb , 04 Apr 2008
This is the leading modern text in criminology, comprehensive and authoritative, written by 35 distinguished British contributors. The editors are Mike Maguire, Professor of Criminology at Cardiff University, Rod Morgan, Chairman of the Youth Justice Board of England and Wales and Professor Emeritus at Bristol University, and Robert Reiner, Professor of Criminology at the London School of Economics.

It has five parts: the history and theory of criminology, the social construction of crime and crime control, the dimensions of crime, the forms of crime, and reactions to crime. It covers research and policy developments and their relationship to race, gender, youth culture and political economy.

The evidence is that the serious violent crime rate is much higher in Thatcherite political economies than in welfarist ones. As Reiner writes, there is a plethora of material confirming that crime of all kinds is linked to inequality, relative deprivation, and unemployment. So, for example, the rise in crime in Britain in the 1980s was due to what happened in the 1980s: naturally Thatcher blamed it on what had happened 20 years before. And it was the 1980s, not the 1960s, that saw the dramatic rise in opiate use here.

The evidence shows that states with higher welfare spending have less crime and lower imprisonment rates. For every dollar spent, Michigans Head Start welfare programme brought $17 of benefit by cutting crime, thereby cutting the numbers imprisoned and thus the costs of imprisonment.

Of course, recognising that crime has root causes does not stop us exploring all possible avenues of crime reduction, victim support and penal reform. Nor does it mean ignoring offenders moral responsibility. Understanding does not cancel the need for judgment.

Thatcherite political economies also have more punitive penal policies. Yet welfarist Sweden has had a smaller rise in crime than Britain, while having a less punitive penal policy. Similarly, Finland has dramatically cut its prison numbers, without increasing crime.

Growing economic inequality and social polarisation increase crime and therefore insecurity and fear. We cannot afford to leave the economy, or society or security to the market. We need to take responsibility for all aspects of our society.



Absolutely outstanding., 22 Jul 2007
Right. I guess I should precis this review by stating quite explicitly that I'm a raging criminology geek. I was determined not to write a review until I had read the OHC cover-to-cover. And it has been well worth the experience. I went into the second year of a Criminology BSc with no criminological background, and decided to spend a couple of months before the start of term reading the third edition cover to cover. I feel that the background the OHC gave me provided a springboard for getting a first. The outstanding wealth and depth of knowledge has to be seen to be believed - I would happily be giving it away as a birthday present left, right and center if it wasn't for the sure and certain knowledge that doing so would get me a hearty slap from my non-criminological family.

I am starting a Masters (hopefully leading into a PhD) this October; given that the 3rd edition seemed to give me a huge amount, I decided to do my best to read the 4th edition cover to cover before October. My copy is now dog-eared, much-loved, and covered liberally in pencil scrawls. I feel far, far more comfortable at the prospect of going back into academia having spent just over a year in very non-academic work.

The one real tragedy for me is the conflation of Loraine Gelsthorpe's and Frances Heidensohn's chapters. In the third edition, they respectively covered Feminism and Criminology and Gender and Crime. In the fourth edition, they co-author a single chapter on Gender and Crime. I personally find it deeply frustrating that two beautifully written, detailed and very discrete chapters have been merged into one. Loraine Gelsthorpe's chapter on feminism and criminology was my introduction to feminist criminology - something I have every intention of carrying into my MPhil / (hopefully) PhD. I found the third edition's coverage of both gender AND feminism both highly appropriate, and absolutely fascinating. The conflation of the two chapters into one to my mind leaves something seriously lacking. And maybe the omission of a chapter on feminism and criminology says something and makes a statement in its own right. The chapter on gender and crime is very well written and contains aspects of both preceding chapters; but the idea that two discrete chapters each of forty pages can be combined into one chapter of forty pages without significant loss is ridiculous. I would recommend with all my heart that anyone with an interest in gender and crime / feminist criminology at least borrows a copy of the third edition. There is a wealth of additional colour and texture there that substantially fired up my interest in criminology.

Aside from that, the online chapters do add something invaluable to the fourth edition. It is a self-contained, beautifully comprehensive and more-than-sufficient edition in itself; but the addition of Jock Young, Barbara Hudson, David Garland and Ken Pease's chapters online do add yet another level of depth. Jock Young and David Garland in particular were two of the chapters that stood out the most to me from the third edition, and two of the chapters that I have gone back to time and time again. The OHC is richer for having them available. At the risk of harping on, though - I wish that Dr. Gelsthorpe's and Professor Heidensohn's chapters were on the OHC website too. They really are the one substantial omission in my eyes. And that - I promise - is the last of that particular tub-thumping spree.

In brief, I cannot recommend this book enough. To anyone, but particularly budding / current criminologists. There is such a wealth of detail in there, from the first two introductory chapters (sociological and psychological approaches) right through to the last two on community penalties and imprisonment. It is not heavygoing; it is not unduly challenging. With the possible exception of Media-Made Criminality, that is - which frankly lost me. Huge reams of statistics with remarkably little coherence to my eyes. Oddly enough, I felt the very next chapter (political economy, crime and criminal justice) is one of the best in the book, and by the self-same author.

Jock Young pulls off something similar - the only other chapter in the book to mildly vex me was the one on Cultural Criminology (done far better - though admittedly in a rather more inaccessible way - by Jeff Ferrell in the book Criminological Perspectives). And yet Crime and Social Exclusion in the third edition remains one of the most solid and interesting chapters in either book.

All in all, I've wittered enough. If your degree / course is worth thirty-whatever quid to you and you're willing to put in the effort, then go for it. If it isn't and / or you aren't, then don't. This book has the hallmark of quality stamped firmly right through it, and there's certainly nothing else criminological out there that can hope to compete in terms of either quality or value for money.

BUY IT!, 18 Nov 2006
This book is a must have for criminology students. I bought this book and 2 others but have not needed to use those. This has everything you need to know and more.

Essential for criminologists, 18 Nov 2006
I love this book. It seriously helped me through my criminology degree at uni - and I ended up with a 1st. It covers just about every topic you need. Definately a very wise investment.

I'm on the CPE course at the mo and..., 25 Sep 2008
... I've been given a take home test that if I don't pass I will be off the course. I bought a series of books in the summer leading up to the start of the course, highly rated ones I'll have you know. All those books are completely useless. But not this one! (Actually that's a bit harsh on the other books, they're good for contextualising my learning.) Anyway, back to the point; if this book was a pint it would be a John Smiths i.e NO NONSENSE.

Anything you want to know it tells you, and it doesn't faff about like the other books. If you want to do well on the CPE you cannot depend on the law express series, nevertheless it's style goes straight for the jugular of law, so you're not sitting there trying to cut the wheat from the chaff for hours. It's like the mate who tells you how it is, and everyone needs a mate like that. If you don't have a mate like that then you need to get one. Failing that, get this book. Even if you don't do law. There... I've said what I have to say.

Oh look, here come the nurses. Back to the straitjacket I go... it was nice while it lasted.

A good Introduction, 22 Mar 2008
This is a good book, but does not cover enough depth. Its a good introduction to each topic area and gives you some good details, however it does sometimes seem to go off-track and does not have a continuous flow. For example you can be reading something and suddenly refers to something else.

However this is a good book and I recommend it to anyone interested in law or wants it a revision book but if you're wanting more depth or for your studies this is not the right book.

Surprisingly useful, 25 Dec 2007
I was surprised by how much I liked this book.. Recommended texts are so often dull and unhelpful, or don't match your syllabus...But this one was great. It was clear, and each part linked nicely with the next. It wasn't concise, but then law books do not tend to be! A good basis for learning in detail about the English Legal System.

Its not just for revision, 08 Oct 2007
Don't tell anyone but... I bought this instead of the set textbook.

Let's be honest. How many of you actually read all the boring bumph in English Legal Systems textbooks? It has to be the driest subject in the world and it is written about and taught by people who cannot be bothered to make it interesting. I tried to read the first chapter of the dire Legal Systems book that we'd been told to read and I just thought life is too short for this. So I took the book back to the bookshop and got my refund and bought this little lifesaver instead and had money left over to buy other stuff.

It is cheap, to the point and reasonably interesting. I managed every tutorial on this book and my exam and I did fine. There was never anything that I needed to know that wasn't in here - in fact, I came up with a couple of points in one tutorial that nobody else had from reading the set text. I used it for my coursework too and got a decent mark. There are clues on how to do coursework and exams in here that you don't get in the other books and pointers to things to read that will help you with the content if you need more detail. There is a website that goes with the book too that has tests on so you know how much you know or don't know.

So buy this English Legal System Express book. It is a fraction of the price and a fraction of the boredom of the other books and it tells you everything you need to know.

Couldn't really get on with it., 08 Oct 2007
Of all my subjects English Legal Systems is the one that is a bit of a struggle. Not because it is difficult but because it just seems to dull. My lecturer seems bored herself which doesn't help and neither did recommending this dire book to us. It definitely falls into the category of one of these set texts that you buy because you are told to, try to read once or twice and then abandon to sit in pristine condition on your bookshelf ready to sell at the second hand book sale as 'no markings or highlighting but a really useful book' in the hope that some poor unsuspecting first year will buy it and at least give you some money back. I don't think that Legal Systems need to be complicated and detailed. It needs to be clear and what it really needs is to be linked with other subjects. Has anyone every mentioned precedent to you in any subject other than Legal Systems? My advice would either to buy a heavyweight book like the book by T. Ingram or to buy one of the short snappy ones that give you all that you need in one bitesize and relatively painfree chunck like the Law Express one. But whatever you do buy, give this one a miss. I think that all students should read the at least one chapter of any book before they buy it so that they can weed out the dross rather than unquestioningly buying stuff off the reading list.

The only practical journalism book you really need, 04 Jun 2008
As a working journalist, this is the only book I (and every colleague I've ever worked with on any newsdesk) reach for time and time again. Not only is it bang up to date, it explains all aspects of reporting law clearly and succinctly.
Unsure of what libel is? How to defend against it? Are you in contempt of court? Breaching the Official Secrets Act? Taking photographs of children? Invading somebody's privacy? McNae's knows. And it's written in a way to tell you quickly.
It's known as The Bible in the regional newsrooms I've worked in all my life - and it's easy to see why when you read it. I can't recommend this highly enough: EVERY reporter should have their own copy.

19th edition, and you can see why, 15 Feb 2008
This is the 19th edition of McNae's, and it doesn't take long to see why. It's updated in response to changes in legislation, and if you rely on having an accurate understanding of the law for journalism, it will almost certainly pay to stay up to date.

This is a set book for journalists doing NCTJs, and, from our point of view, an essential reference in our PR department -- alongside the Press Complaints Commission code poster up on the wall.

Journalism and the law are two things on which many people have opinions. There are lots of people who will quite happily say in a meeting "it's against the law to...", "newspapers are required by law to...", "they won't be allowed to print...". Unfortunately, a lot of this 'knowledge' is second or third hand, and much of it dates back to legislation or cases that have now been superseded. A lot of the rest of it is gleaned from conversations in pubs, and articles in newspapers. In other words, of very little value.

This book is the antidote: updated from the most recent changes and the most recent cases, and adopting exactly the right tone when it comes to describing things which are subject to being tested in the courts. And it's an awful lot cheaper than ringing up a lawyer.

Strongly recommended for anyone who actually needs to know.

my view, 14 Aug 2007
i found this book to be clear and easy to understand. if you have no knowledge of the subject before hand then once you have read this book you will have more idea of the 'law'. it guides you through each section step by step and in simple format.

An excellent introductory text, but not for in-depth study, 04 Nov 2001
This book is a very good text for business students as it focuses particularly on various business issues such as employment, breach of contract and so on. It will lead you to various cases, and may even you encourage you to study contract law in more depth!

A good basic law text, 23 Jan 2001
I used this book for my Business Law module and found it quite useful, however some cases I needed to refer to were not included and a few others did not have sufficient details.

Very weak on international law, 17 Oct 2008
Ok on basic UK law but incredibly weak on international law including errors (The Inter-American system of Human Rights does not just cover South America. It covers all member states of the OAS including in North America, Central America, the Caribbean and South America, with differences depending on whether the American Convention has been ratified or not). Oxford - and lawyers - should not be so lazy.

Excellent, 25 Mar 2008
I have studied all aspects of Tort, Family, Business, Criminal, Property, Land, Contract Law and Civil and Criminal Litigation at Level 3 and every word I have wanted to look up has been in this dictionary. It has been my life line throughout my studies. A must have for all law students at every level.

Excellent for Uni Students (Year 1 and 2), 26 Jan 2008
I have just started my LLB(Hons) OU Law course and have used this many times. Great for any student studying Law at GCSE or LLB.

Great Stuff!!!

Love it!!!!!, 10 Jan 2008
No law student should be without a law dictionary... I bought this one last September because the last edition couldn't take another year of use!

Use my dictionary all the time, first place I go for every form of work!

Not so useful for Scottish Law Students, 14 Dec 2007
Hmm... The differences in terminology between the Scots and English Law systems is very evident in this book. I've owned it for 18 months, and more often than not it doesn't have what I need.

There are better (free!) online legal dictionary services.

Police Review is not needed, 21 Aug 2008
Much better than the old Law Files and you don't need Police Review for a study timetable, there are other OSPRE training providers who also produce one

Don't consider taking the exam without having read these, 26 Sep 2002
I'm really not very keen on sitting the Police promotion examination but with 17 years service I suppose the time has come to think about finally applying myself. So, to study...
If spare time is something you're short of because, let's face it, you've probably got a life that work already gets in the way of, these Manuals are a must for you.
Easy to read and understand they are well structured and contain plenty of relevant case law examples.
The added beauty of them is that the Police Review promotion section is actually structured to work alongside them so you get the benefit of someone else calculating your study programme for you in case you're not up to it yourself.
Now the only excuse for everyone else around you being promoted is you!

The Oxford Handbook of Criminology, 08 Oct 2008

this book was recommended to me by my Criminology module tutor on my law degree course. I have found it helpful, and there is much detail, yet at the same time it is readable. Probably the most helpful textbook on Criminology for degree level that you will find.

Superb , 04 Apr 2008
This is the leading modern text in criminology, comprehensive and authoritative, written by 35 distinguished British contributors. The editors are Mike Maguire, Professor of Criminology at Cardiff University, Rod Morgan, Chairman of the Youth Justice Board of England and Wales and Professor Emeritus at Bristol University, and Robert Reiner, Professor of Criminology at the London School of Economics.

It has five parts: the history and theory of criminology, the social construction of crime and crime control, the dimensions of crime, the forms of crime, and reactions to crime. It covers research and policy developments and their relationship to race, gender, youth culture and political economy.

The evidence is that the serious violent crime rate is much higher in Thatcherite political economies than in welfarist ones. As Reiner writes, there is a plethora of material confirming that crime of all kinds is linked to inequality, relative deprivation, and unemployment. So, for example, the rise in crime in Britain in the 1980s was due to what happened in the 1980s: naturally Thatcher blamed it on what had happened 20 years before. And it was the 1980s, not the 1960s, that saw the dramatic rise in opiate use here.

The evidence shows that states with higher welfare spending have less crime and lower imprisonment rates. For every dollar spent, Michigans Head Start welfare programme brought $17 of benefit by cutting crime, thereby cutting the numbers imprisoned and thus the costs of imprisonment.

Of course, recognising that crime has root causes does not stop us exploring all possible avenues of crime reduction, victim support and penal reform. Nor does it mean ignoring offenders moral responsibility. Understanding does not cancel the need for judgment.

Thatcherite political economies also have more punitive penal policies. Yet welfarist Sweden has had a smaller rise in crime than Britain, while having a less punitive penal policy. Similarly, Finland has dramatically cut its prison numbers, without increasing crime.

Growing economic inequality and social polarisation increase crime and therefore insecurity and fear. We cannot afford to leave the economy, or society or security to the market. We need to take responsibility for all aspects of our society.



Absolutely outstanding., 22 Jul 2007
Right. I guess I should precis this review by stating quite explicitly that I'm a raging criminology geek. I was determined not to write a review until I had read the OHC cover-to-cover. And it has been well worth the experience. I went into the second year of a Criminology BSc with no criminological background, and decided to spend a couple of months before the start of term reading the third edition cover to cover. I feel that the background the OHC gave me provided a springboard for getting a first. The outstanding wealth and depth of knowledge has to be seen to be believed - I would happily be giving it away as a birthday present left, right and center if it wasn't for the sure and certain knowledge that doing so would get me a hearty slap from my non-criminological family.

I am starting a Masters (hopefully leading into a PhD) this October; given that the 3rd edition seemed to give me a huge amount, I decided to do my best to read the 4th edition cover to cover before October. My copy is now dog-eared, much-loved, and covered liberally in pencil scrawls. I feel far, far more comfortable at the prospect of going back into academia having spent just over a year in very non-academic work.

The one real tragedy for me is the conflation of Loraine Gelsthorpe's and Frances Heidensohn's chapters. In the third edition, they respectively covered Feminism and Criminology and Gender and Crime. In the fourth edition, they co-author a single chapter on Gender and Crime. I personally find it deeply frustrating that two beautifully written, detailed and very discrete chapters have been merged into one. Loraine Gelsthorpe's chapter on feminism and criminology was my introduction to feminist criminology - something I have every intention of carrying into my MPhil / (hopefully) PhD. I found the third edition's coverage of both gender AND feminism both highly appropriate, and absolutely fascinating. The conflation of the two chapters into one to my mind leaves something seriously lacking. And maybe the omission of a chapter on feminism and criminology says something and makes a statement in its own right. The chapter on gender and crime is very well written and contains aspects of both preceding chapters; but the idea that two discrete chapters each of forty pages can be combined into one chapter of forty pages without significant loss is ridiculous. I would recommend with all my heart that anyone with an interest in gender and crime / feminist criminology at least borrows a copy of the third edition. There is a wealth of additional colour and texture there that substantially fired up my interest in criminology.

Aside from that, the online chapters do add something invaluable to the fourth edition. It is a self-contained, beautifully comprehensive and more-than-sufficient edition in itself; but the addition of Jock Young, Barbara Hudson, David Garland and Ken Pease's chapters online do add yet another level of depth. Jock Young and David Garland in particular were two of the chapters that stood out the most to me from the third edition, and two of the chapters that I have gone back to time and time again. The OHC is richer for having them available. At the risk of harping on, though - I wish that Dr. Gelsthorpe's and Professor Heidensohn's chapters were on the OHC website too. They really are the one substantial omission in my eyes. And that - I promise - is the last of that particular tub-thumping spree.

In brief, I cannot recommend this book enough. To anyone, but particularly budding / current criminologists. There is such a wealth of detail in there, from the first two introductory chapters (sociological and psychological approaches) right through to the last two on community penalties and imprisonment. It is not heavygoing; it is not unduly challenging. With the possible exception of Media-Made Criminality, that is - which frankly lost me. Huge reams of statistics with remarkably little coherence to my eyes. Oddly enough, I felt the very next chapter (political economy, crime and criminal justice) is one of the best in the book, and by the self-same author.

Jock Young pulls off something similar - the only other chapter in the book to mildly vex me was the one on Cultural Criminology (done far better - though admittedly in a rather more inaccessible way - by Jeff Ferrell in the book Criminological Perspectives). And yet Crime and Social Exclusion in the third edition remains one of the most solid and interesting chapters in either book.

All in all, I've wittered enough. If your degree / course is worth thirty-whatever quid to you and you're willing to put in the effort, then go for it. If it isn't and / or you aren't, then don't. This book has the hallmark of quality stamped firmly right through it, and there's certainly nothing else criminological out there that can hope to compete in terms of either quality or value for money.

BUY IT!, 18 Nov 2006
This book is a must have for criminology students. I bought this book and 2 others but have not needed to use those. This has everything you need to know and more.

Essential for criminologists, 18 Nov 2006
I love this book. It seriously helped me through my criminology degree at uni - and I ended up with a 1st. It covers just about every topic you need. Definately a very wise investment.

I'm on the CPE course at the mo and..., 25 Sep 2008
... I've been given a take home test that if I don't pass I will be off the course. I bought a series of books in the summer leading up to the start of the course, highly rated ones I'll have you know. All those books are completely useless. But not this one! (Actually that's a bit harsh on the other books, they're good for contextualising my learning.) Anyway, back to the point; if this book was a pint it would be a John Smiths i.e NO NONSENSE.

Anything you want to know it tells you, and it doesn't faff about like the other books. If you want to do well on the CPE you cannot depend on the law express series, nevertheless it's style goes straight for the jugular of law, so you're not sitting there trying to cut the wheat from the chaff for hours. It's like the mate who tells you how it is, and everyone needs a mate like that. If you don't have a mate like that then you need to get one. Failing that, get this book. Even if you don't do law. There... I've said what I have to say.

Oh look, here come the nurses. Back to the straitjacket I go... it was nice while it lasted.

A good Introduction, 22 Mar 2008
This is a good book, but does not cover enough depth. Its a good introduction to each topic area and gives you some good details, however it does sometimes seem to go off-track and does not have a continuous flow. For example you can be reading something and suddenly refers to something else.

However this is a good book and I recommend it to anyone interested in law or wants it a revision book but if you're wanting more depth or for your studies this is not the right book.

Surprisingly useful, 25 Dec 2007
I was surprised by how much I liked this book.. Recommended texts are so often dull and unhelpful, or don't match your syllabus...But this one was great. It was clear, and each part linked nicely with the next. It wasn't concise, but then law books do not tend to be! A good basis for learning in detail about the English Legal System.

Its not just for revision, 08 Oct 2007
Don't tell anyone but... I bought this instead of the set textbook.

Let's be honest. How many of you actually read all the boring bumph in English Legal Systems textbooks? It has to be the driest subject in the world and it is written about and taught by people who cannot be bothered to make it interesting. I tried to read the first chapter of the dire Legal Systems book that we'd been told to read and I just thought life is too short for this. So I took the book back to the bookshop and got my refund and bought this little lifesaver instead and had money left over to buy other stuff.

It is cheap, to the point and reasonably interesting. I managed every tutorial on this book and my exam and I did fine. There was never anything that I needed to know that wasn't in here - in fact, I came up with a couple of points in one tutorial that nobody else had from reading the set text. I used it for my coursework too and got a decent mark. There are clues on how to do coursework and exams in here that you don't get in the other books and pointers to things to read that will help you with the content if you need more detail. There is a website that goes with the book too that has tests on so you know how much you know or don't know.

So buy this English Legal System Express book. It is a fraction of the price and a fraction of the boredom of the other books and it tells you everything you need to know.

Couldn't really get on with it., 08 Oct 2007
Of all my subjects English Legal Systems is the one that is a bit of a struggle. Not because it is difficult but because it just seems to dull. My lecturer seems bored herself which doesn't help and neither did recommending this dire book to us. It definitely falls into the category of one of these set texts that you buy because you are told to, try to read once or twice and then abandon to sit in pristine condition on your bookshelf ready to sell at the second hand book sale as 'no markings or highlighting but a really useful book' in the hope that some poor unsuspecting first year will buy it and at least give you some money back. I don't think that Legal Systems need to be complicated and detailed. It needs to be clear and what it really needs is to be linked with other subjects. Has anyone every mentioned precedent to you in any subject other than Legal Systems? My advice would either to buy a heavyweight book like the book by T. Ingram or to buy one of the short snappy ones that give you all that you need in one bitesize and relatively painfree chunck like the Law Express one. But whatever you do buy, give this one a miss. I think that all students should read the at least one chapter of any book before they buy it so that they can weed out the dross rather than unquestioningly buying stuff off the reading list.

The only practical journalism book you really need, 04 Jun 2008
As a working journalist, this is the only book I (and every colleague I've ever worked with on any newsdesk) reach for time and time again. Not only is it bang up to date, it explains all aspects of reporting law clearly and succinctly.
Unsure of what libel is? How to defend against it? Are you in contempt of court? Breaching the Official Secrets Act? Taking photographs of children? Invading somebody's privacy? McNae's knows. And it's written in a way to tell you quickly.
It's known as The Bible in the regional newsrooms I've worked in all my life - and it's easy to see why when you read it. I can't recommend this highly enough: EVERY reporter should have their own copy.

19th edition, and you can see why, 15 Feb 2008
This is the 19th edition of McNae's, and it doesn't take long to see why. It's updated in response to changes in legislation, and if you rely on having an accurate understanding of the law for journalism, it will almost certainly pay to stay up to date.

This is a set book for journalists doing NCTJs, and, from our point of view, an essential reference in our PR department -- alongside the Press Complaints Commission code poster up on the wall.

Journalism and the law are two things on which many people have opinions. There are lots of people who will quite happily say in a meeting "it's against the law to...", "newspapers are required by law to...", "they won't be allowed to print...". Unfortunately, a lot of this 'knowledge' is second or third hand, and much of it dates back to legislation or cases that have now been superseded. A lot of the rest of it is gleaned from conversations in pubs, and articles in newspapers. In other words, of very little value.

This book is the antidote: updated from the most recent changes and the most recent cases, and adopting exactly the right tone when it comes to describing things which are subject to being tested in the courts. And it's an awful lot cheaper than ringing up a lawyer.

Strongly recommended for anyone who actually needs to know.

my view, 14 Aug 2007
i found this book to be clear and easy to understand. if you have no knowledge of the subject before hand then once you have read this book you will have more idea of the 'law'. it guides you through each section step by step and in simple format.

An excellent introductory text, but not for in-depth study, 04 Nov 2001
This book is a very good text for business students as it focuses particularly on various business issues such as employment, breach of contract and so on. It will lead you to various cases, and may even you encourage you to study contract law in more depth!

A good basic law text, 23 Jan 2001
I used this book for my Business Law module and found it quite useful, however some cases I needed to refer to were not included and a few others did not have sufficient details.

entering law studies, 03 Aug 2008
personally i found this book to be very helpful, the method of analysing law problem questions and discuss questions are exceptional. however the book does repeat itself and sometimes goes in to to much detail about irrelevant information. Would higly recommend this book to law students who are beginnng their law studies.

A MUST FOR EVERY LAW STUDENT!, 23 Oct 2007
This is a great study guide for anyone who wants to improve their marks on their law course. I was struggling with time constraints on all my practice essays, but this system really helped. Not only am I able to write more quickly and more clearly, I find I'm able to get more information into each of my essays simply because I have an organized method of structuring my argument. In addition to the CLEO system, the book had a chapter on grammar and style that explained things that never made sense to me before. My tutor was shocked at how quickly my essays improved after reading this book. Buy this -- you won't regret it.

An OK decent guide to writing law essays, 28 Mar 2005
For undergraduate or postgraduate law students in particular, this book mainly focuses on tackling problem questions (i.e. involving advising parties or discussing the rights and liabilities of parties in a scenario) using the author's four-step formula of "CLEO" - Claim, Law, Evaluation and Outcome. Each component of the compound is explained and guides the reader on how to write out each of the four steps using a worked example of a negligence tort law problem question written by the author. Essay questions or "discuss questions" (i.e. discussion or critique questions of the law regarding development or reform) are also dealt with briefly with the same formula, but in a slightly modified version.

The use of this method is moderately useful for students, but this is usually taught by lecturers or tutors at university anyway, in my experience and from fellow students. It allows a somewhat focused approach to writing law essays through the use of "CLEO".

The author makes good use of brief summaries at the start of each chapter, as well as boxed mini-headings for many paragraphs, in addition to ample annotation for essays.

However, my main problem with the book is the exposition of the various parts of the "CLEO" method by the author, where in numerous occasions, the author seems to be off-track - particularly in the chapter on applying the formula to "discuss questions". Also, a lot of the comments on worked essays were grammar and punctuation based, without emphasis on analysis or application of "CLEO". In some instances, the explanations on the usage of the formula are unnecessarily verbose. Furthermore, the author frequently uses a number of vague terms interchangeably, such as "sub-issue", without initial clarification which is a major obstacle to understanding how the formula is used. Lastly, I thought the chapter on very basic grammar and punctuation (such as commas and apostrophes) titled as "good tips for legal writing", which covered around 50 pages, was rather unhelpful.

Despite these problems, the book serves as a fair guide to writing law essays or for some inspiration pertaining to style in such essays.

A useful guide to what matters, 12 Nov 2003
This book is published with answering both law discussion questions and problem questions, in which the law student is presented with a facts scenario and has to evaluate the merits of each claim, in mind. Naturally, it would be easy to lose focus in discussion and problem questions; I've answered many in my time and will answer many more and I speak from experience. In providing a four-part framework which is universally applicable across the wide array of questions that one may have to attempt in a law paper, this book is invaluable.

The student who adopts the method in this book is far less likely to lose focus as it helps to compartmentalise the key elements of answering a question. Moreover, such an approach is invaluable in exam conditions, for the 'Cleo' method ensures that all analysis is to the point and very little time is wasted on irrelevant material.

I've applied this method in many of my essays and exam questions. It's difficult to get used to, but it's certainly worth the effort.

The one criticism to which the book is vulnerable is that the author perhaps spends too much time criticising the grammatical errors in the worked examples. Such an attitude is understandable - after all, part of the point of this method is to make the answers more concise - but perhaps it could do with focusing a little more on the legal defects in the worked examples, as particularly in timed conditions the focus on the grammar will lessen.

Apart from this minor point, however, I recommend the book in the highest possible terms.