Readings In Contemporary Criminological Theory

An anthology of 24 essays on major developments in contemporary criminological theory

This text is a comprehensive anthology in which criminologists Cullen and Agnew take readers from past to present, reviewing classic and contemporary theories of crime. This new edition features 14 new selections, ranging from classic works to recent selections on social disorganization, and control balance theories.

Topics covered in this study of contemporary criminological theory include: images of crime, interaction, self and crime, reconsideration of strain theory and stratification and crime.

This comprehensive reader exposes students to both the classic and contemporary theories of crime. Editors Francis T. Cullen, Robert Agnew, and Pamela Wilcox provide brief yet detailed introductions, preparing students for what they are about to read and placing each reading in context.

Explaining Criminals and Crime is the first collection of original essays addressing theories of criminal behavior that is written at a level appropriate for undergraduate students. These clear, concise, accessible essays were written expressly for this book, either by the original author(s) of each theory or by a scholar who has written extensively about it. All major contemporary criminological theories are covered in this book, including: * Biological (Pauline Yaralian and Adrian Raine) * Strain (Robert Agnew, Steve Messner, and Richard Rosenfeld) * Social and Self Control (Travis Hirschi and Michael Gottfredson; John Laub, Robert Sampson, and Leanna Allen) * Social Reaction (Ross Matsueda and John Braithwaite) * Social Learning and Differential Association (Ronald Akers and Mark Warr) * Social Disorganization (Ralph Taylor) * Radical and Feminist (Michael Lynch and Paul Stretesky; Meda Chensey-Lind and Karlene Faith) * Rational Choice and Routine Activities (Ronald Clarke and Derek Cornish; Marcus Felson) * Integrated and Control Balance (Thomas Bernard and Charles Tittle) Explaining Criminals and Crime also offers section introductions that provide a historical background for each theory, key issues that the theory addresses, and a discussion of any controversies generated by the theory. Each theoretical essay contains: * A discussion of the key theoretical concepts. * The specific hypotheses derived from the theory. * Existing empirical research on these hypotheses. * Criticisms of the theory and efforts to deal with those criticisms. * Policy implications of the theory. Most criminological theories are published in journals or specialized texts and are written in language intended for other scholars. As a result, undergraduate and even graduate students in criminology and criminal justice find these readings quite difficult, which limits their understanding of the material. The essays and chapter introductions in Explaining Criminals and Crime are written with the undergraduate audience in mind.

The Second Edition of Criminological Perspectives offer the most comprehensive guide to the major topics and areas of debate that constitute contemporary criminology. It will be essential reading for students of criminology, criminal justice stud

This volume contains recent and cutting-edge articles from leading criminological theorists. The book is organized into ten sections, each representing the latest in the multi-disciplinary orientations representing a cross-section of contemporary criminological theory. These sections include: 1: Classical and Rational Choice; 2: Biological and Biosocial; 3: Psychological; 4: Social Learning and Neutralization; 5: Social Control; 6: Social Ecology, Sub-cultural and Cultural; 7: Anomie and Strain; 8: Conflict and Radical; 9: Feminist and Gender; 10: Critical Criminologies: Anarchist, Postmodernist, Peacemaking. The articles were selected based on their contributions to advancing the field, including ways in which the authors of each chapter understand the current theoretical tendencies of their respective approaches and how they envision the future of their theories. Because of this, the articles focus on theory rather than empirical research. Of particular note is the tendency toward integration of different perspectives, as described by editors, Henry and Lukas, in their original introduction to this volume.

Criminological Theory: Readings and Retrospectives offers a comprehensive collection of classical theoretical pieces in criminology combined with original Contemporary Retrospective essays on each theory. The Contemporary Retrospective essays were written exclusively for this book by some of the best established and up-and-coming criminologists today. This combination of classic articles and contemporary essays provides the reader with a solid foundation for understanding classic criminological theories while providing insight on how they have evolved over time.