Explaining Criminals And Crime

A collection of original essays addressing theories of criminal behavior that is written at a level appropriate for undergraduate students. This book 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.

Foundations for criminology -- Crime and criminology -- The relativity of law and crime -- Crime statistics and the distribution of crime -- Theories of crime -- Deterrence and rational choice theories of crime -- Individual theories of crime : a biosocial perspective -- Social structure theories of crime -- Social process theories of crime -- Social reaction theories of crime -- New directions : integration and a life-course perspective -- Types of crime -- Violent crime 11. economic crime -- Crimes without victims and victims without crimes -- Youth violence

Criminal Justice Theory is the first comprehensive volume on the theoretical foundations of criminal justice. The authors argue that theory in criminal justice is currently underdeveloped and inconsistently applied, especially in comparison to the role of theory in the study of crime itself. In the diverse range of essays included here, the authors and contributors integrate examples from the study of criminal justice systems, judicial decision-making, courtroom communities, and correctional systems, building the argument that students of criminal justice must not evaluate their discipline solely on the basis of the effectiveness of specific measures in reducing the crime rate. Rather, if they hope to improve the system, they must acquire a systematic knowledge of the causes behind the structures, policies, and practices of criminal justice.

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.

Anderson teaches criminal justice and criminology at the U. of Missouri; Dyson has published some 25 criminal justice-related articles and three books. Coverage includes an overview of the crime problem in America; what "theory" is; discerning "good" and "bad" theory; the methodologies used by social scientists to conduct research; victimization theories; the social structure, social processing, and social conflict theories used by criminologists; and the future of criminological theory. For students, scholars, and researchers in criminal justice and sociology. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR.

This highly acclaimed criminology text presents an up-to-date review of rational choice theories, including deterrence, shaming, and routine activities.

"This book reviews the very latest empirical evidence with regard to the risk factors that produce antisocial and criminal behavior. The authors meaningfully integrate risk factors identified by more than a dozen academic disciplines that increase the odds of antisocial behavior and criminality. The result is a new interdisciplinary theory that helps break down traditional barriers and overcomes the "disciplinary myopia" that plagues criminological theory. Unlike the typical criminological theory text, this book actually advances the state of criminological theory as well as the field of criminology"--

'Understanding Crime' begins with an overview of the key elements of crime & criminology, & then examines the practical implications of each theory on the administration of justice. This new edition contains a wealth of new material.

In Developmental Theories of Crime and Delinquency, Terence P. Thornberry and his contributors show that criminal behavior is not a static human attribute, but ebbs and flows over the life course of the individual. Criminal behavior tends to follow a distinct psychological pattern. It is relatively uncommon during childhood, is initiated by most offenders during adolescence, flourishes during late adolescence and early childhood, and usually diminishes or disappears by the mid-twenties. This pattern is not characteristic of all people--some never commit crimes and others become career criminals--but it is a general description of the developmental pattern of criminal offenders. This pattern has profound implications for theories of crime and delinquency. Not only does it explain initiation into, maintenance of, and desistance from involvement in crime, it offers insight into why crime flourishes during adolescence. Traditional theories of crime and delinquency have often failed to distinguish among different phases of criminal careers. They tend to ignore developmental changes that occur across a person's life course, changes that coincide with and can explain the causes and patterns of criminal behavior. This paperback edition of the seventh volume of the distinguished series Advances in Criminological Theory moves us from static identifications of the criminal by presenting a broad range of developmental explanations of crime. Each contributor articulates a developmental or life course perspective in explaining how people become involved in delinquency and crime. Each covers a wide range of theoretical territory and reveals how a developmental perspective enhances the explanatory power of traditional theories of crime and delinquency. This volume is an invaluable tool for criminologists, sociologists, psychologists, and other professionals seeking to teach how crime and violence can be understood in our culture.