Encyclopedia of Social Deviance

Forsyth (sociology, Univ. of Louisiana at Lafayette) and Copes (justice sciences, Univ. of Alabama at Birmingham; Identity Thieves; coeditor, Voices from Criminal Justice and Criminological Theory) and 200-plus contributors cover here "any behavior that violates a cultural norm." This extremely broad definition of social deviance would seemingly make it quite difficult, if not impossible, to encompass in one set the entirety of background information on the topic. The more than 300 entries, which are between one and five pages in length each, are wide ranging, addressing subjects such as academic deviance, the broken window thesis, general strain theory, homelessness, the punk subculture, and the Tea Party movement. The material is accessible and includes cross-references and suggestions for further reading. The two volumes are not without merit, and while it is useful to view topics through a social deviance lens, reference titles on specific areas and/or themed examples of concept would enable deeper coverage and are preferable. In terms of similarly broad-themed encyclopedias, the Routledge Encyclopedia of Criminology and Deviant Behavior provides twice the content, although, at 14 years old, does not include the most contemporary ideas or issues.