criminal law

This book attempts to be fair, but is rife with wrong or misleading information. I think the author tries to cover too much ground, and winds up out of his element.

pp 391-392 "When a user is under the drug's (MDMA) effects, the user is often referred to as "rolling" because of the up-and-down rolling of emotions."

"Rolling" refers to the way eyes tend to move around when a person is on this drug. It has nothing to do with a supposed emotional rollercoaster. Furthermore, this drug causes no such flapping of emotions. MDMA causes one big up of euphoria and elation, followed by one big crash.

p 392. "Other adverse side effects of MDMA include heart, liver damage, strokes, and long-term brain injury." While nobody is saying this substance is healthful, the apparent neurotoxicity is a hotly debated issue. Long-term neurological damage has not been established. Most of the research behind these claims comes from George Ricaurte at Johns Hopkins, and his work has absolutely not been universally accepted.

I have had the honor to have Dr. Curt Bartol himself as a Professor at Castleton State College, VT. His writings are clear, easily understood, and the most comprehensive I've seen. I believe this to be one of the only Psychosocial Approaches to Criminal Behavior. It is also required reading for all FBI Agents. Dr. Bartol and this book deserve much praise and respect. He is most certainly at the forefront of his field!

This book is pretty good as a first text in a criminal psychology class. It has a lot of information about current and old research in the field. The only thing that keeps this book from being 4 or 5 stars, is the fact that it's pretty dry, and a little difficult to read.