Anyone living or working in a city has feared or experienced street crime at one time or another, whether it be a mugging, purse snatching or a more violent crime. In the United States, street crime has recently hovered near historic lows, hence, the declaration of certain analysts that street life in America has never been safer. But is it really? Street crime has changed over past decades, especially with the advent of surveillance cameras in public places - the territory of the street criminal - but at the same time, criminals have found ways to adapt.

This encyclopedic reference focuses primarily on urban lifestyle and its associated crimes, ranging from burglary to drug peddling to murder to new, more sophisticated forms of street crime and scams. This traditional A-to-Z reference has significant coverage of police and courts and other criminal justice subdisciplines while also featuring thematic articles on the sociology of street crime.