In Criminological Theories, the noted criminologist Ronald Akers provides thorough description, discussion, and appraisal of the leading theories of crime/delinquent behavior and law/criminal justice - the origin and history of each theory and its contemporary developments and adherents. Akers offers a clear explanation of each theory (the central concepts and hypotheses of each theory as well as critical criteria for evaluating each theory in terms of its empirical validity). Researchers and librarians, as well as general readers, will find this book a very useful tool and will applaud its clear and understandable exposition of abstract concepts.
This book provides a concise but comprehensive review of the full range of classic and contemporary theories of crime. With separate chapters on the nature and use of criminological theory as well as theoretical application, the authors render the difficult task of explaining crime more understandable to the introductory student. All of the main theories in criminology are reviewed including classical and rational choice, biological, psychological, and evolutionary, social structural, social process, critical, general, and integrated approaches. Copious examples of the spirit of the theories are supplied, many with a popular culture (e.g., film and music) connection.
An indispensable resource for all levels, this handbook provides up-to-date, in-depth summaries of the most important theories in criminology. Provides original, cutting-edge, and in-depth summaries of the most important theories in criminology Covers the origins and assumptions behind each theory, explores current debates and research, points out knowledge gaps, and offers directions for future research Encompasses theory, research, policy, and practice, with recommendations for further reading at the end of each essay Features discussions of broad issues and topics related to the field, such as the correlates of crime, testing theory, policy, and prediction Clearly and accessibly written by leading scholars in the field as well as up-and-coming scholars
"This is one of the best texts I have seen in a while...It makes the world of criminology less daunting and more relevant." —Allyson S. Maida, St. John’s University Introduction to Criminology, Tenth Edition, is a comprehensive introduction to the study of criminology, focusing on the vital core areas of the field—theory, method, and criminal behavior. With more attention to crime typologies than most introductory texts, Hagan and Daigle investigate all forms of criminal activity, such as organized crime, white collar crime, political crime, and environmental crime. The methods of operation, the effects on society and policy decisions, and the connection between theory and criminal behavior are all explained in a clear, accessible manner. A Complete Teaching & Learning Package
This book delivers the most comprehensive, in-depth analysis of criminological theory and crime typologies available. In addition to its unparalleled breadth and depth of coverage, the text is unrivaled in its strong research base and currency. The chapters in Part Three (Crime Typologies) focus on some of the hottest issues in the field today: green crime, transnational crime, and cybercrime. Packed with real-world illustrations, the Twelfth Edition is completely updated and includes cutting-edge seminal research, up-to-the-minute policy, newsworthy examples, and hundreds of new references. Renowned for his unbiased presentation of theories, issues, and controversies, Dr. Siegel encourages students to weigh the evidence and form their own conclusions. New learning tools maximize students' success in the course, while a careers website gives them a clear vision of the opportunities ahead. - Provided by the publisher.
From a look at classics like Psycho and Double Indemnity to recent films like Traffic and Thelma & Louise, Nicole Rafter and Michelle Brown show that criminological theory is produced not only in the academy, through scholarly research, but also in popular culture, through film. Criminology Goes to the Movies connects with ways in which students are already thinking criminologically through engagements with popular culture, encouraging them to use the everyday world as a vehicle for theorizing and understanding both crime and perceptions of criminality. The first work to bring a systematic and sophisticated criminological perspective to bear on crime films, Rafter and Brown's book provides a fresh way of looking at cinema, using the concepts and analytical tools of criminology to uncover previously unnoticed meanings in film, ultimately making the study of criminological theory more engaging and effective for students while simultaneously demonstrating how theories of crime circulate in our mass-mediated worlds. The result is an illuminating new way of seeing movies and a delightful way of learning about criminology.
This revised and updated text provides the student with an accessible understanding of the current nature of criminological theory. Its main focus is on development in criminological theorizing since the late 1970s paying particular attention to right realism, left realism and developments arising from the influence of theorizing around gender. The relationship of criminological theory and knowledge to current policy agendas is given particular attention in this second edition, and a key concern of the text is to paint a picture for the student of the complex interplay between criminology, criminal justice, social justice and politics. The author concludes by offering an insight into some of the theoretical concerns that might better inform the future development of criminological theory. In all, this represents a useful theoretical text for students of criminology and trainees in criminal justice, including clear summaries, an expanded glossary and suggestions for further reading.
"This volume examines criminology from the perspective of centuries of study. Written by a psychologist who has worked extensively with the criminal population, it focuses on the diverse theories that have been offered and the ways in which they contribute to the modern view of the criminal"--Provided by publisher.
By articulating a general theory of crime and related behavior, the authors present a new and comprehensive statement of what the criminological enterprise should be about. They argue that prevalent academic criminology—whether sociological, psychological, biological, or economic—has been unable to provide believable explanations of criminal behavior. The long-discarded classical tradition in criminology was based on choice and free will, and saw crime as the natural consequence of unrestrained human tendencies to seek pleasure and to avoid pain. It concerned itself with the nature of crime and paid little attention to the criminal. The scientific, or disciplinary, tradition is based on causation and determinism, and has dominated twentieth-century criminology. It concerns itself with the nature of the criminal and pays little attention to the crime itself. Though the two traditions are considered incompatible, this book brings classical and modern criminology together by requiring that their conceptions be consistent with each other and with the results of research. The authors explore the essential nature of crime, finding that scientific and popular conceptions of crime are misleading, and they assess the truth of disciplinary claims about crime, concluding that such claims are contrary to the nature of crime and, interestingly enough, to the data produced by the disciplines themselves. They then put forward their own theory of crime, which asserts that the essential element of criminality is the absence of self-control. Persons with high self-control consider the long-term consequences of their behavior; those with low self-control do not. Such control is learned, usually early in life, and once learned, is highly resistant to change. In the remainder of the book, the authors apply their theory to the persistent problems of criminology. Why are men, adolescents, and minorities more likely than their counterparts to commit criminal acts? What is the role of the school in the causation of delinquincy? To what extent could crime be reduced by providing meaningful work? Why do some societies have much lower crime rates than others? Does white-collar crime require its own theory? Is there such a thing as organized crime? In all cases, the theory forces fundamental reconsideration of the conventional wisdom of academians and crimina justic practitioners. The authors conclude by exploring the implications of the theory for the future study and control of crime.
