Subjects:  1. Criminal justice, Administration of    2. Criminology    3. Government - Judicial Branch    4. Law enforcement    5. Political Freedom & Security - Law Enforcement    6. Political Science    7. Politics / Current Events    8. Politics/International Relations    9. Prison administration    10. Sociology    11. United States    12. Law    13. Political Science / Law Enforcement   

Subjects:  1. Dictionaries & Terminology    2. Law    3. Legal Reference / Law Profession    4. Police, Private    5. Political Freedom & Security - Law Enforcement    6. Practical Guides    7. Private security services    8. United States    9. Law / Dictionaries & Terminology    10. Police & security services   

Subjects:  1. Business Law    2. Criminal Law - General    3. Criminal justice, Administrati    4. Criminal justice, Administration of    5. Criminology    6. Jurisprudence    7. Law    8. Legal Reference / Law Profession    9. Crime & criminology    10. English law: criminal law    11. Political Science / Law Enforcement   

Editorial Review

Most people know it's easier to get into prison than it is to get out. But for a journalist, just getting into Sing Sing, New York's notorious maximum-security prison, isn't easy. In fact, Ted Conover was so stymied by official channels that he took the only way in--other than crime--and became a New York State corrections officer: "I wanted to hear the voices one truly never hears, the voices of guards--those on the front lines of our prison policies, the society's proxies." Read more

Reviews (101)

Ted Conover's Keen Eye for Researching ..........
I bought this book for the interest in the subject matter and to also read about the author's personal experiences as a correctional officer and researcher. For the past few weeks, I read the book and can honestly say it is one of the best books on criminal justice written from "an outsider's experience inside." Ted Conover's role was to get the story. How many persons could honestly say they go in a prison to work on a book? Very, very few, probably the Ted Conover few.
Much Respect
I have to give the author credit.When he was denied the right to shadow a C.O. (Corrections Officer), he became one.This is not as simple as it sounds.He literally swore an oath to protect the inmates and the lives of his fellow officers.He worked the job with dedication, and got some great material out of it.I was wary, because I thought he might have been playing C.O.But, working in Sing Sing, you don't "play" anything.Bravo.

A Great Adventure Behind Bars.
Some investigative reporters will do anything for a story.We see it all the time on T.V. news.This one tends to live dangerously; he wrote about American Illegal Aliens in 1987 -- I wish he would do a followup as so much has changed in that regard in the past twenty years or so.
Read more

Subjects:  1. American    2. Biography    3. Correctional personnel    4. Criminology    5. General    6. Law Enforcement    7. New York (State)    8. Officials and employees    9. Ossining    10. Ossining Correctional Facility    11. Penal Institutions    12. Politics / Current Events    13. Prisons    14. Sing Sing Prison    15. Social Science    16. Sociology    17. Current Events / American    18. USA   

Reviews (2)

Im the Chief now
Great Book. Hard to read at times on mids, but now Im the CHief....Good Luck

Good read
I was tasked with reading this for a promotional test.It has lots of good infomation and makes for an easy read.Some of the chapters contain too much information making it difficult to retain but overall a good resource. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Criminal Law - General    2. Law    3. Leadership    4. Management - General    5. Personnel management    6. Police    7. Policy    8. Political Freedom & Security - Law Enforcement    9. Politics / Current Events    10. United States    11. Crime & criminology    12. Law / Criminal Procedure    13. Personnel & human resources management    14. Police & security services   

Reviews (4)

Complete Information
This book contains exactly what it says it does.The general info is presented in an interesting way so it makes for an easy and informative read.
It sucks
This book has a bad set-up.Poor drawings if any.Unorganized material.

a great book for aspiring law enforcement officers
This book has been very helpful to me. I read it cover to cover and then went through it again, following the directions and making notes. It is easy to understand, and the way it is written (as if the author is talking directly to you) makes it interesting as well.Read more

Subjects:  1. Cliff / Monarch / Barron's Book Notes    2. Cliff's/ Monarch / Barron's Book Notes    3. Professional - General    4. Study Aids    5. Study Guides    6. Tests    7. Education    8. Study Aids / Professional   

Reviews (3)

Save Your Money
If you're considering buying this book...save your money.This book is the same as the online study guide on the Border Patrol's website.It has the same questions and the same alternative language.It does have a couple full-length practice tests.I was hoping for some insight into the actual test or some "inside" information that may not be outlined on the Border Patrol's website or in its' study guide.I was VERY disappointed with this purchase.

INS Test Prep
I bought this book because I needed to study for the Immigration Inspector exam. Unfortunately, there isn't a book available for this exam, but this book was at least helpful. I took the test yesterday, and I was so glad that I had studied. There were 200 people taking the test, and at least I felt that I had a slight edge from studying. I wish there would have been more test exams in the book - there's only two. The Immigration Inspector test doesn't include any Spanish or Artificial Language sections, but I did use the Spanish section to brush up on my skills. It takes up to twelve weeks to get your results back, which the book doesn't mention. Good luck to all and study, study, study!!

Buy the blue one!
Until the third edition comes out (and that could be a while since this one is fairly new), this edition is the most up to date one available! The first edition still contains the old vocabulary portion which has been eliminated from the current Border Patrol test. If you wish to study the vocabulary section, I would recommend buying both books, but this is simply NOT necessary. This book gives you study tips, very realistic practice tests, and it helps you to find your weaker areas. Buy the blue one!Read more

Subjects:  1. Border patrol agents    2. Civil Service    3. Civil Service Occupations    4. Education    5. Examinations    6. Immigration Border Patrol    7. Law Enforcement    8. Political Freedom & Security - Law Enforcement    9. Study Aids    10. Study Guides    11. United States    12. United States.    13. Study Aids / Tests   

Editorial Review

Read more

Reviews (164)

a true eye opener for personal safety
I think what I took away from reading this book was really a lesson in personal safety. I found myself really paying attention to everything going on around me and walking a little bit taller. This isn't for everyone but I found it a critical read living and working in the city at night. I actually was able to identify a bad scene unfolding in front of me and got my feet moving to avoid it. John Douglas presents the facts in a non-alarmist way while still putting great emphasis on what bad dudes are all about. This is a must read for anyone in law enforcement and anyone who likes to gain power through knowledge.

Good insights into human nature
This was a very interesting book describing the rise of criminal profiling in the F.B.I.John Douglas pioneered the combination of psychology and crimaal catching which has become so popular today, especially since Thomas Harris' Silence of the Lambs, which showed the public how this new science works (in an exaggerated form, of course).This book details how that science developed, what it's benefits are, and why it should be used, but unfortunately Mr. Douglas doesn't really tell us a whole lot about how exactly it works.He looks at case files, examines autopsy reports, then comes up with a profile of the killer.All of the cases he records in this book are cases he got right (one wonders how many he has gotten wrong, since he mentions having done hundreds and hundreds of cases, and he only mentions a few dozen), yet he never really bridges the gap between case file analysis and criminal profiling.Perhaps he doesn't want us to know, so that criminals cannot use that information to their advantage.If so, he should have explained himself, as the books cover and intro are rather misleading.
I CONFESS! I READ THIS BOOK!
Hey, I am not looking for a plea bargain here. I plead guilty to reading Mindhunter by John Douglas.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Criminal investigation    2. Criminology    3. Murder - General    4. Political Freedom & Security - Law Enforcement    5. Psychology    6. Serial murder investigation    7. Serial murderers    8. Social Science    9. Sociology    10. True Crime / Espionage    11. United States    12. Biography & Autobiography / General    13. True crime   

Reviews (2)

"Excellent start for novice or those interested in CSI"
Mark R. Hawthorne's "First Unit Responder," CRC Press 1999, ISBN 0-9493-002-1, is a 6 chapter 98-page guide book for uniformed officers working in the field who frequently are the first to arrive for a potential crime scene investigation(CSI). Rookies or veterans, Cops to firefighters to EMT's
As a law enforcement instructor at a police training facility, I found this book to be fantastic for the new recruits we train. As a retired police officer/Crime Scene Analyst, I also realized it would be great for some veteren officers and non-law enforcement personnel to review. Mark Hawthorne has kept the technical information on an easily understandable level. He has covered, in 90 pages, what would take hours of personal instruction. I found the test questions and answers extremely helpful in preparing reviews. This book can be picked up by the patrol officer, and if READ, could furnish much of the information to properly document most any crime scene. I would recommend this book to any basic law enforcement instructor or new police officer. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Crime scene searches    2. Criminal Evidence And Analysis    3. Criminal Investigation    4. Criminal Procedure    5. Evidence    6. Evidence preservation    7. Evidence, Criminal    8. Forensic Science    9. Handbooks, manuals, etc    10. Law    11. Legal Reference / Law Profession    12. Political Freedom & Security - Law Enforcement    13. Courts & procedure    14. Criminal law    15. English law: criminal law    16. English legal system: law of evidence    17. Law / Forensic Science   

Reviews (6)

An Awesome Book, It just needed a little more proof reading!

Finally a good book from someone who's been there
As the mother of a son who is currently in prison, I have ordered several books in an attempt to get some kind of idea of what we can expect both in prison and when he gets out.This is one of only two books that I have found to be most helpful.The writer has a unique understanding of the system on both sides of the barbed wire and gives some excellent tips on how to succeed.Our family has never dealt with anything like this so we are completely in the dark and this book shined the light on some points I had never thought of that might have taken me by surprise if I had not read this book first. I highly recommend this book both for inmates and their families.

An Answer to a Prayer
I was so happy to find this book. I bought one for myself and one for my husband. It was really helpful in many ways. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. General    2. Personal Growth - General    3. Psychology    4. Self-Help    5. Social Science / Criminology    6. True Crime / General    7. Crime prevention    8. Criminology    9. Parole    10. Prisoners    11. Prisoners and prisons, America    12. Social Science    13. True Crime   

Subjects:  1. Criminology    2. Sociology    3. Crime & criminology   

Subjects:  1. Computers - Languages / Programming    2. Emergency Medicine    3. Medical    4. Programming Languages - General    5. Search and rescue operations    6. Accident & emergency medicine   

Reviews (2)

Terrible Book
ALL I HAVE TO SAY IS THAT THIS BOOK HAS A LOT OF FACTS, BUT THEY ARE BASED ON RACISM.NEARLY ALL PICTURES IN THIS BOOK HAVE WHITE COPS WITH FULL ARMOR AND RIOT GEAR ON BEATING A BLACK MAN TO THE GROUND WITH THEIR NIGHT STICKS AS SEEN ON PAGE 103.POINTING OUT HOW MANY BLACK CRIMINALS THERE ARE IN THE WORLD IS NOT NECESSARY EITHER. ...

UNAPPROPRIATE MATERIAL
I FOUND THIS BOOK TO HAVE MANY RACIAL REMARKS AGAINST AFRICAN AMERICANS.SOME THINGS YOU JUST KNOW AND DON'T NEED TO BE SAID.THE CONSTANT PPOINTING OUT OF HOW MANY BLACKS ARE CRIMINALS AND HOW MANY BLACKS ARE POLICE OFFICERS IS IRREVELANT IN THE STUDY OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE.CRIMINALS ARE OF ALL RACES AND SO ARE POLICE OFFICERS.I WOULD NOT SUGGEST THIS BOOK TO ANYONE WHO WANTS A CAREER IN THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE FIELD. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Criminal Procedure    2. Criminal justice, Administrati    3. Criminal justice, Administration of    4. Criminology    5. General    6. Sociology    7. True Crime / Espionage    8. United States    9. Law / General    10. POLITICS & GOVERNMENT   

Reviews (21)

the missing links
Great book, and even if only 10% of it happened, the average person would be crapping their pants in those situations.What I'd REALLY like to read is those thousand+ hours of tape transcripts.It would likely provide some of the missing links to further details as mentioned by other reviewers here.

Pretty good, quick read!
Doesn't get bogged down in a lot of details; however, because of this, it feels a little 'bare bones'...but this is probably because of disclosure issues and confidential materials.

Amazing Bravery
Thank God for William Queen!!!I just finished his book -Under and Alone - and am amazed at what this man went through to get the bad guys.What a great human being!I loved that part at the end of the book where he writes about knowing that these were serious bad guys that needed to be put away - but there was another factor - after living with them for 2 1/2 years he had witnessed it, lived it, felt it, and understood the love that these guys felt for their brothers, him included. That gave me goosebumps.There was a thin line there for him.Not everything is black or white.Sometimes there is that gray area.I hope that he remains safe and can have happiness in his life.He certainly deserves it!!! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography / Autobiography    2. California    3. General    4. Motorcycle gangs    5. Political Freedom & Security - Law Enforcement    6. Queen, William    7. Specific Groups - General    8. True Crime    9. Undercover operations    10. True Crime / General   

Reviews (3)

Not the best
Yes, it is adequate, but my advice to any write who is seriously considering writing about anything psychologically related is to simply buy a psychology book related to what you want. They, for the most part, are not that hard to understand and are very often much more interesting than any how-to book or any mass market fiction. This book gives a good overview, but not much else.
Review of The Criminal Mind
Writer's Digest Books' The Criminal Mind by Katherine Ramsland is an insightful tool for the serious crime writer. It is more intellectual than most self-help writing books and can provide interesting ideas for fleshing out characters. It is deeply rooted in psychological theory and that makes it an exceptionally interesting read. Complex topics are explained in layman's terms. It is nice to have a writing guide by such a talented writer.

Excellent reference tool for crime/fiction writer
The Criminal Mind: A Writer's Guide to Forensic Psychology is an excellent reference tool for any crime or fiction writer who wants to write a believable story involving elements of criminal behavior and those who investigate and treat individuals who display this behavior.Katherine Ramsland, Ph.D., is herself a forensic psychologist and the author of fourteen previous nonfiction books. She uses a mixture of fiction and fact to describe the fundamentals of forensic psychology.She stresses the importance of keeping characters and their behavior realistic to an extent. By knowing how your character would really behave,Ramsland suggests that the writer can add credibility to both characters and plot of the crime, mystery or suspense novel.Read more

Subjects:  1. Composition & Creative Writing - Genre Fiction    2. Forensic Medicine    3. Forensic Psychology    4. Reference    5. Writing Skills    6. Creative writing guides    7. Crime & criminology    8. Criminal or forensic psychology   

Reviews (1)

great
Very useful book, well documented and user friendly.Good for those in that wonderful niche. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Clinical Psychology    2. Cognitive therapy    3. Criminal Psychology    4. Forensic Psychology    5. Mental Illness    6. Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation    7. Psychology    8. Rehabilitation    9. Rehabilitation Therapy    10. Sex offenders    11. Sociology    12. Neurology & clinical neurophysiology    13. Psychology & Psychiatry / Forensic Psychology    14. Psychotherapy    15. Rehabilitation of offenders    16. Sexual abuse   

Editorial Review

What makes people kill? Specifically, what are the motivations behind serial, mass, and spree killings? Drawing from cases such as the mass murder in Dunblane, Scotland, in which a lone gunman mowed down 16 children and their teacher, the still-unsolved Tylenol poisonings, and the Unabomber, former FBI profiler John Douglas and coauthor Mark Olshaker try to explain the unthinkable. What sets Read more

Reviews (61)

Inside Smoldering Minds
This is an engrossing book that was ahead of its time in presenting the often seamy, often searching field of forensic science. Douglas brings us onto the crime scene, and gives us a view through the eyes of profilers, pathologists, analyzers, and detectives.
A trip to a very dark place
When it comes to bringing serial crime psychology and profiling to a level that a layperson can understand, Douglas is peerless.He identifies several different types of serial killers and includes true-life stories of a few he's dealt with in his decades with the FBI's Behavioral Science Unit.It's an engrossing, easily understandable and fascinating read.

Not as riveting as I expected
When I saw this book in a used book store, I thought the title was "Anatomy of Murder". Only later did I see that it was "Motive". Based on Douglas' other books about serial killers, I expected this book to deal strictly with serial killers. And it did not.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Criminal investigation    2. Criminal psychology    3. Criminology    4. General    5. Homicide investigation    6. Murder - General    7. Psychopathology - General    8. True Crime    9. True Crime / Espionage    10. United States    11. True Crime / Murder   

Reviews (10)

RAIDS - Excellent Manual
I am a Police Officer in Colorado, and a former Active Duty Marine... I have to say that this book is a great source of information for High Risk Entry operations.
Excellent primer for SWAT students.
This book is well written, and covers SWAT topics at a more realistic entry level vs. other texts I have seen having SWAT in their title.Would highly recomend to those wanting to have a section in their library titled SWAT tactics/Inddor Urban Combat in it.

New 2005 revised edition
RAIDS was first published in 1991 but has recently been totally revised and up-dated to better reflect changes in STTU tactics and terminology for Raid planning and operations.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Police & security services   

Reviews (4)

Poppycock
This is political `poppycock', as each party in the USA continue to `blackmail' their opponent by any means possible, to the consternation and shocking surprise of millions of people who have not yet been nourished with this sort of `democratic civility'.(!!!!)
Jaded Tasks; Brass Plates,Black Ops & Big Oil
Excellent, insightful, eyeopening
must read
this book is a must read if we are to survive as a democracy. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Conspiracy & Scandal Investigations    2. Criminology    3. Government - Executive Branch    4. Government - U.S. Government    5. History & Theory - General    6. International - Economics    7. International Economic Relations    8. Political Science    9. Politics - Current Events    10. Politics / Current Events    11. Politics/International Relations    12. U.S. Political History    13. Terrorism, freedom fighters, armed struggle    14. USA   

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography/Autobiography    3. Cuba    4. Lunt, Lawrence K    5. Penology    6. Political prisoners    7. Prisons    8. Sociology