The handbook of the criminology of terrorism The Handbook of the Criminology of Terrorism features a collection of essays that represent the most recent criminological research relating to the origins and evolution of along with responses to terrorism from a criminological perspective. Offers an authoritative overview of the latest criminological research into the causes of and responses to terrorism in today&rsquo;s world Covers broad themes that include terrorism&rsquo;s origins theories methodologies types relationship to other forms of crime terrorism and the criminal justice system ways to counter terrorism and more Features original contributions from a group of international experts in the field Provides unique insights into the field through an exclusive focus on criminological conceptual frameworks and empirical studies that engage terrorism and responses to it Although there has been an explosive growth in research on terrorism across the social and behavioral sciences in the past two decades until recently much of this work originated in political science or psychology. Some may find this surprising because terrorism clearly falls within the domain of criminology that has been defined (Sutherland and Cressey 1978:3) as encompassing research on ...the breaking of laws and reactions to the breaking of laws. As Clarke and Newman (2006:i) succinctly put it Terrorism is a form of crime in all essential respects. When we set out to compile this Handbook our main goal was to make it the source that researchers and policy experts would turn to for expert knowledge on criminological theories methods and research on understanding the human causes and consequences of terrorism. We have aimed to make the Handbook relevant not just for scholars but also for students policy makers and practitioners. The Handbook should be especially useful for the growing number of classes on terrorism and homeland security that have appeared over the past 20 years. The Handbook includes six substantive sections and 36 chapters from leading researchers on the major themes and controversies in each of these sections. Individual chapters present specific topics or themes and define and describe key concepts within each section. Each chapter also outlines the current state of research by reviewing the major conceptual frameworks and empirical findings in each area. Throughout the Handbook our contributors have endeavored to highlight areas of widespread agreement within the field as well as important debates and controversies