SUNY Potsdam Sociology & Criminal Justice Professor Dr. David Bugg Releases ‘Comparative Criminology’ Textbook, Published by Linus Learning
SUNY Potsdam Professor of Sociology and Criminal Justice Dr. David Bugg has released a new textbook, “Comparative Criminology,” published by Linus Learning and now available in hardcover.
The textbook offers an in-depth look at comparative criminology—the study of crime and criminal justice systems across nations—highlighting the social, political and economic forces that shape crime globally. Dr. Bugg’s work emphasizes how criminal justice professionals and scholars can learn innovative approaches to shared challenges by examining international experiences.
“I could never find a book that captured the wide range of crime problems facing nations of the world that brought them to a level that not only showed how they influenced criminal justice in the U.S., but how they even touched our life in the North Country, where drugs, weapons and victims of human trafficking move through our communities and across New York State bound for other destinations in the U.S. and other countries,” Bugg said. “Many textbooks in this area focus only on countries in Europe such as Britain, France, and Germany, with contrasts such as Saudi Arabia, Japan, and China. I wanted to touch on countries from every continent and bring countries that are rarely given the spotlight in academic research a chance to show our students and a wider audience the problems facing these nations but also different approaches to addressing these problems.”
Drawing on years of teaching a course by the same name at SUNY Potsdam, Dr. Bugg began writing the book in 2018. His research incorporates academic insights, law enforcement perspectives and real-world examples, including local cases that illustrate global criminal networks’ reach. The text also uses popular films such as “The Italian Job,” “Taken” and “Quantum of Solace” to bridge public perceptions with the realities of international crime.
“I bring what people think they know about international organized crime, and explore the real-life events that inspire many of these movies to show the powerful reality of crimes such as smuggling luxury items, human trafficking, money laundering, and the illicit trafficking of natural resources in terms of their real human costs and how the public often interacts with them without realizing that our lives connect to these crimes on a daily basis,” Bugg said.
Unlike many textbooks that focus narrowly on Europe or a few major nations, “Comparative Criminology” examines crime and justice in countries across every continent, offering readers a comprehensive view of global crime challenges and potential solutions.
“By exploring parallels between the U.S. and other countries such as Ghana, Macedonia, Australia, Mexico, Nigeria, New Zealand and Greece, we can better understand a variety of crimes from homicide, auto theft, human trafficking, drug trafficking, terrorism to illicit timber trafficking. Through this approach, we can see what areas of crime and criminal justice need to be improved both at home and abroad, as well as seeing possible approaches to making those improvements,” Bugg said.
Dedicated to his twins, Hope and Austin, Bugg said he hopes the book, which he began writing the year they were born, inspires efforts to create “a safer and kinder world.”
The SUNY Potsdam criminal justice studies program provides a broad interdisciplinary liberal arts orientation, with course requirements in philosophy, politics and sociology, and the opportunity for students to elect to study courses in anthropology, chemistry and psychology. The SUNY Potsdam Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice offers both a major and a minor in criminal justice studies. Along with University Police and the Lougheed Center for Applied Learning, the department co-sponsors the College’s Law Enforcement Training Institute, which offers police academy training for local agencies and pre-employment cadets. For more information, visit www.potsdam.edu/academics/AAS/Soci.
About SUNY Potsdam:
Founded in 1816, The State University of New York at Potsdam is one of America’s first 50 colleges—and the oldest institution within SUNY. Now in its third century, SUNY Potsdam is distinguished by a legacy of pioneering programs and educational excellence. The College currently enrolls approximately 2,500 undergraduate and graduate students. Home to the world-renowned Crane School of Music, SUNY Potsdam is known for its challenging liberal arts and sciences core, distinction in teacher training and culture of creativity. To learn more, visit www.potsdam.edu.