Book Review: Police Culture: Adapting to the Strains of the Job

• Author: Howard Smith,Frank Fuller
• Date: 01 December 2014
• Published date: 01 December 2014
• DOI: 10.1177/0734016814547107
• Subject Matter: Book Reviews

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Criminal Justice Review 39(4)
offenses all the way from the early colonial days to the present, focusing on how the ideology of the
relevant century impacted treatment of this group of offenses and offenders. Her later discussion of the
‘‘potpourri of laws’’ for sex offenders enacted in the 2000s is descriptive and offers readers less recog-
nizable legal restrictions such as the special sex offender driver’s licenses enacted in at least 11 states.
Mancini finishes the book in section 3 with several chapters devoted to sex offender policy. While
readers will benefit from the detailed description of sex offender risk assessments and court cases,
Chapters 8 and 10 in particular go beyond the descriptive to offer critical analysis of our current sex
offender policies, including the legal assumptions and logic behind sex offender legislation as well
as the impact policy variation has on the external validity and evaluative potential of current studies.
Mancini’s analysis promotes critical thinking and would allow for informed discussion about our
current policies and their impact on sex offenders and society as a whole within a classroom. Man-
cini concludes section 3 with suggestions for sex offender policy that have been supported by
empirical research.
Overall, this book would benefit a variety of undergraduate courses, including those focusing on
sex offenses, corrections, or public policy. Throughout the book, Mancini offers readers insight into
the realities of sexual offending, explaining the true extent and variety of sex offenses and sex offen-
ders as well as how ideologies influence our treatment of those who sexually offend and where our
current legislation is leading us. The text is written in such a way that will promote understanding even
for casual readers, as the text is well organized and tables are used throughout the book to provide
succinct summary and comparison of major theories, research, and states. Mancini’s level of detail and
writing quality would...