Summary
From the Introduction:
"The history of crime in America is quite simply the history of America"—Carl Sifakis
Why are the annals of crime worth studying? Author Carl Sifakis suggests that crimes and the people who perpetrate them—the killers, thieves, madams, prostitutes, crooked officers and judges, political bosses, gangsters, and even the victims involved—reflect the society we have created.
In this comprehensive and objective reference to America's criminal past, he offers 2,000 A-to-Z entries covering significant crimes, criminals, and law enforcement figures and techniques. Entries are chosen based on their symbolic or historical relevance and consist of biographies, definitions, and detailed accounts of criminal activities.
Among the topics covered are:
- Bank robberies
- Criminal "firsts," including the Vikings' early depredations in the New World and the case of John Billington, the first convicted murderer in the Plymouth colony
- Jean Harris and the "Scarsdale Diet" doctor
- The Hillside Stranglers
- Lawmen and folk hero bandits of the Old West
- Major crime issues of the new millennium, including the use of DNA and other methods to prevent permanent miscarriages of justice
- The 1993 World Trade Center bombing
- The O.J. Simpson case
- The Oklahoma City bombing
- Organized crime, including its beginning in the Prohibition era, bootleg king Al Capone, and present-day figures such as John Gotti and Vincent Gigante
- Lee Harvey Oswald
- Profiles of colorful, brilliant, and sometimes devious prosecutors and defense attorneys
- Public enemies of the 1930s, including John Dillinger, Clyde Barrow, and Bonnie Parker
- Serial killers such as Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer, and Andrew Cunanan
- The Sunset Slayer
- The treatment of sex criminals
- The Unabomber/Theodore Kaczynski
- Urban crime, including New York City at the end of the 18th century and the crime rates in our cities today
- White-collar criminals, such as Charles H. Keating, Jr., and Michael Milken
- Wrongful convictions.