Critical Criminology

Exploring the key issues and future prospects facing critical criminology, this book brings together leading authorities in the field from the UK, Australasia and the USA.

The first book on critical criminology theories and perspectives for students of criminology, sociology, and social policy, this book offers an in-depth but accessible introduction to foundational and contemporary ideas in the field. Using examples, highlighting key points, and offering sample essay questions, Pamela Ugwudike presents students with a vast array of theories and perspectives, including many that challenge mainstream criminological notions about the causes of crime and the operation of the criminal justice system. Aiming not only to familiarize students with these concepts but also to encourage them to develop critical thinking,An Introduction to Critical Criminology will be an ideal text for criminology courses.

The concept of critical criminology – that crime and the present day processes of criminalization are rooted in the core structures of society – is of more relevance today than it has been at any other time. Written by an internationally renowned scholar, Contemporary Critical Criminology introduces the most up-to-date empirical, theoretical, and political contributions made by critical criminologists around the world. In its exploration of this material, the book also challenges the erroneous but widely held notion that the critical criminological project is restricted to mechanically applying theories to substantive topics, or to simple calling for radical political, economic, cultural, and social transformations. This book is an essential source of reference for both undergraduate and postgraduate students of Criminology, Criminal Theory, Social Policy, Research Methodology, and Penology.

This collection of essays offers students, faculty, policy makers and others an in-depth overview of the most up-to-date empirical, theoretical, and political contributions made by critical criminologists.

These original essays introduce students to the complex and influential field of critical criminology. It presents many of the theories of critical criminology — Marxist, Feminist, Left Realist, Postmodern, Constitutive, Peacemaking, and Restorative Justice — and explores how, despite their distinctions, each theory is rooted in radical criminology, and all are critical of mainstream criminology.

First published in 1975, this collection of essays expands upon the themes and ideas developed in the editors’ previous work, the visionary and groundbreaking text: The New Criminology. Directed at orthodox criminology, this is a partisan work written by a group of criminologists committed to a social transformation: a transformation to a society that does not criminalize deviance. Included are American contributions, particularly from the School of Criminology at Berkeley, represented by Hermann and Julia Schwendinger and Tony Platt, together with essays by Richard Quinney and William Chambliss. From Britain, Geoff Pearson considers deviancy theory as ‘misfit sociology’ and Paul Hirst attacks deviancy theory from an Althusserian Marxist position. The editors contribute a detailed introductory essay extending the position developed in The New Criminology, and two other pieces which attempt to continue the task of translating criminology from its traditional correctionalist stance to a commitment to socialist diversity and a crime-free set of social arrangements.

Advancing Critical Criminology constitutes a timely addition to the growing body of knowledge on critical criminology scholarship. DeKeseredy and Perry have assembled a volume that provides scholars with an in-depth review of the extant literature on several major branches of criminology as well as examples of how critical criminologists apply their theoretical perspectives to substantive topics, such as drugs, interpersonal violence, and rural crime. Accordingly, this work is divided into two main sections: overviews of theories and applications. Each chapter provides a summary of work in a specific area, along with suggestions for moving the field forward. This reader is unique in its choice of topics, which have often been overlooked in the past. An expert collection of international scholars, Advancing Critical Criminology is certain to stimulate lively debates and generate further critical social scientific work in this field.

This book presents the work of a new generation of critical criminologists who explore the geographical, institutional, and political contexts of the discipline in Canada. Breaking away from mainstream criminology and law-and-order discourses, the authors offer a spectrum of theoretical approaches to criminal justice -- from governmentality to feminist criminology, from critical realism to anarchism � and they propose novel approaches to topics ranging from genocide to white-collar crime. By posing crucial questions and attempting to define what criminology should be, this book will shape debates about crime, policing, and punishment for years to come.