James Q. Wilson (1931-2012) taught at Harvard, UCLA, and Pepperdine. Author of eighteen books, including the standard college textbook on its topic, American Government, Wilson was a member of national commissions on criminal justice, drug abuse prevention, and national security. He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2003.

As crime rates inexorably rose during the tumultuous years of the 1970s, disputes over how to handle the violence sweeping the nation quickly escalated. James Q. Wilson redefined the public debate by offering a brilliant and provocative new argument-that criminal activity is largely rational and shaped by the rewards and penalties it offers-and forever changed the way Americans think about crime. Now with a new foreword by the prominent scholar and best-selling author Charles Murray, this revised edition of Thinking About Crime introduces a new generation of readers to the theories and ideas that have been so influential in shaping the American justice system.