Issues In Comparative Criminology

Gathering together work in comparative criminology, this text focuses on issues of theory, explanation and measurement. The articles have been selected because of their cross-cultural attention to crime, rather than to the processes and institutions of criminal justice.

This edited volume presents the diversity of comparative criminology research in Asia, and the complex theoretical and methodological issues involved in conducting comparative research. With contributors both from the West and the East exploring these questions, the Editors have created a balanced resource, as well as set an agenda for future research. The increasing pace of globalization means that researchers should be armed with an understanding of how criminal justice systems work across the world. In the past, comparative research largely compared Western countries to each other, or involve d researchers from a Western perspective examining an Asian country, with models and theories developed in the West considered to have universal applications. This work aims to correct that gap, by providing a critical examination of comparative research, presenting quantitative and qualitative research data, and asking new questions that challenge prevailing research norms and provide an agenda for future research. This work will be of interest for researchers across the field of Criminology, particularly those with an interest in International and Comparative Research, research on or about Asia, and related disciplines such as Sociology, Demography, and Social Policy. “This fine collection that goes to the rich distinctiveness of Asian criminology. The editors have brought together a wonderful collection of authors mainly from the region. The distinctiveness of values and relational practices in Asia are recurrent themes that are well developed in this book and help us to make sense of patterns of crime and criminal justice in Asia.” John Braithwaite, Australian National University “What theoretical, methodological, and practical issues must we confront in conducting cross-cultural studies encompassing Western and Asian countries? Comparative Criminology in Asia discusses these issues and presents exemplary comparative research. The introductory chapter and the introduction to each part by the co-editors are lucid and highly educational. This collection must be required reading for every serious scholar and aspiring graduate student in Asian countries so that criminological and criminal justice studies will be brought to a much higher level o f sophistication.” Setsuo Miyazawa, UC Hastings “Can there be – and should there be -- a distinctive Asian criminology? What would this involve? The answer depends on what one thinks of the universalistic explanatory claims of Western criminology. Will these claims become self- fulfilling as these societies add to colonial influences a more deliberate borrowing of criminal justice models and established ways of pursuing discipline of criminology? Or will a more critical spirit prevail? This welcome edited collection by Liu, Travers and Chang provides an excellent starting point for reflecting on these and other questions. Rather than attempting to provide descriptions of the variety of similarities and differences in this region (though there are some fascinating case studies of these) the focus is even more on exploring the theoretical approa ches and methodologies used in comparing institutional and cultural differences by Asian criminologists and others.” David Nelken, King’s College, London “Criminologists can no longer ignore the impact of globalization on the pattern and amount of crime as we experienced recently, nor can we ignore the global change of criminal justice policies to deal with crime. There is, therefore, a desperate need to collect data on how crime and criminal justice are influenced by globalization across Asian countries. On the other hand, there are debates on the issue of culture-specific vs. pan-culture theories of crime. This collection addresses both issues in an interesting way. Its publication is timely and welcome.” Chuen-Jim Sheu, National Taipei University

This is the first comprehensive bibliography that deals with comparative criminology and other signficant works in the field dating from the 1960s. The guide covers 500 studies on crime, law, and social control in two or more cultures. The volume is organized into three main sections: meaning and measurement in criminology, cross-national crime rates, and social control and penal policies. The work is intended for students, for scholars and professionals, and for all researchers concerned with criminal justice studies around the world. The bibliography includes a preface, eleven chapters on topics of major importance, appendices, and author and subject indexes. The chapters deal with general issues in comparative criminology, cross-national data, perceptions of crime, violent crime, crimes against property, economic and political crime, transnational corporate crime, correlates of crime, underdevelopment and modernization, social control and dispute resolution, and criminal justice and penal policies. The appendices point to useful sources for further research. In addition, a full author and subject index is provided.

With this publication the editors offer the first comprehensive text designed to assist, facilitate and guide interested researchers in how to engage in comparative criminological/criminal justice research. The editors have collected a series of nine articles which serve to illustrate examples to facilitate the reader in how to conduct such research. Each of the articles is accompanied with a series of questions and useful web-links to further assist the reader and/or student.

This book aims to both reflect and take forward current thinking on comparative and cross-national and cross-cultural aspects of the history of crime. Its content is wide-ranging: some chapters discuss the value of comparative approaches in aiding understanding of comparative history, and providing research directions for the future; others address substantive issues and topics that will be of interest to those with interests in both history and criminology. Overall the book aims to broaden the focus of the historical context of crime and policing to take fuller account of cross-national and cross-cultural factors.

Issues in Criminology and Criminal Justice Research: 2013 Edition is a ScholarlyEditions™ book that delivers timely, authoritative, and comprehensive information about Criminology. The editors have built Issues in Criminology and Criminal Justice Research: 2013 Edition on the vast information databases of ScholarlyNews.™ You can expect the information about Criminology in this book to be deeper than what you can access anywhere else, as well as consistently reliable, authoritative, informed, and relevant. The content of Issues in Criminology and Criminal Justice Research: 2013 Edition has been produced by the world’s leading scientists, engineers, analysts, research institutions, and companies. All of the content is from peer-reviewed sources, and all of it is written, assembled, and edited by the editors at ScholarlyEditions™ and available exclusively from us. You now have a source you can cite with authority, confidence, and credibility. More information is available at http://www.ScholarlyEditions.com/.

Issues in Criminology and Criminal Justice Research: 2011 Edition is a ScholarlyEditions™ eBook that delivers timely, authoritative, and comprehensive information about Criminology and Criminal Justice Research. The editors have built Issues in Criminology and Criminal Justice Research: 2011 Edition on the vast information databases of ScholarlyNews.™ You can expect the information about Criminology and Criminal Justice Research in this eBook to be deeper than what you can access anywhere else, as well as consistently reliable, authoritative, informed, and relevant. The content of Issues in Criminology and Criminal Justice Research: 2011 Edition has been produced by the world’s leading scientists, engineers, analysts, research institutions, and companies. All of the content is from peer-reviewed sources, and all of it is written, assembled, and edited by the editors at ScholarlyEditions™ and available exclusively from us. You now have a source you can cite with authority, confidence, and credibility. More information is available at http://www.ScholarlyEditions.com/.