Advances in Criminological Theory
2 primary works
Book 3
Facts, Frameworks, and Forecasts calls for rethinking the development of criminological theory. In her introduction, Joan McCord argues that the field is ready for new approaches and that its progress depends on a sound factual base. Examining the discipline's research design, methodology, and quantitative analysis efforts, the contributors identify significant advances in criminological theory. This empirical orientation results in a balanced blend of information and speculation. This book contains a comprehensive review. The first chapter describes biological conditions that have theoretical links with criminal behavior -- ending with a discussion of how biological and social conditions may interact to influence criminal behavior. Early chapters discuss general issues related to crime. These are followed by expositions of theoretical orientations not typically found in criminological literature. The second half of the book describes seven longitudinal studies in four countries. The authors interpret their data to expose biological, social, and psychological factors they believe may influence criminal behavior.These contributors include: Guenther Knoblich and Roy King, Daniel Glaser, Robert A. Rosellini and Robin L. Lashley, Robert J. Sampson, Ellen S. Cohn and Susan O. White, Joan McCord, L. Rowell Huesmann and Leonard D. Eron, Robert Cairns and Beverly Cairns, Richard E. Tremblay, Patricia Cohen and Judith S. Brook, David P. Farrington and David Magnussen, Britt af Klinteberg, and Hakan Stattin. Facts, Frameworks, and Forecasts addresses the observation of noted criminologist Marvin Wolfgang that criminological theory had stagnated. This groundbreaking work, available in paperback for the first time, is as relevant now as when first published. It should be read by all concerned with data-related approaches to criminology.
Book 13
Beyond Empiricism expands the discourse on theories of criminal behavior. It considers institutional, social, and individual issues related to criminal behavior, while individually each raises questions about the adequacy of current theoretical claims. The topics have significant implications both for policy and research in criminology.
Per-Olof Wikstrom introduces a cross-level action theory of crime. He suggests that better understanding of causal mechanisms can lead to a situational theory of action based on perception of alternatives and the process of choice. David Wolcott and Steven Schlossman provide new perspectives on the issues of racial disparity and the incarceration of adolescents in adult prisons. These authors highlight gaps in our understanding of early twentieth-century juvenile justice and negate some popular claims about recent changes in the criminal law. Peter Grabosky spotlights privatization policies in the criminal justice system, suggesting a framework for analyzing the balance of advantage resulting from three basic forms of institutional relationships in policing. Steven Messner and Richard Rosenfeld discuss why institutional analysis has been seriously underdeveloped in etiological analyses of crime. Jordan Pederson and Matthew Shane scrutinize the concept of aggression. Their descriptions of aggressive behavior among non-human animals provide a fascinating backdrop for understanding human actions. Joan McCord emphasizes the intentionality of crimes as she argues that to understand what causes crime, one must have a theory about what it means to act intentionally. After critically appraising prior theories, McCord introduces and defends a new theory of motivation based on a post-empiricist theory of language.
This latest volume in the distinguished Advances in Criminological Theory series continues to add to the theoretical underpinnings of the field, and will be important to all collections of social science research on criminology.