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Troubling Criminology
250 pages, Paperback
Published October 21, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
June 4, 2025
Review: Troubling Criminology – A Provocative Examination of Systemic Harm
As a public health practitioner, I approached Troubling Criminology with both professional curiosity and personal trepidation. The book’s critical examination of how criminology often reinforces systemic harm rather than challenging it resonated deeply with my work addressing gender-based violence and structural inequities in healthcare. While not explicitly a public health text, its unflinching analysis of power dynamics felt immediately relevant to the injustices I confront daily in marginalized communities.
Emotional Reactions: Between Recognition and Restlessness
Reading this book was an intellectually invigorating yet emotionally complex experience. The authors’ dismantling of criminology’s traditional frameworks mirrored my own frustrations with how public health systems sometimes individualize what are fundamentally structural problems. There were moments of profound validation—when the text exposed how institutions pathologize vulnerable populations—and moments of discomfort, as I reflected on similar blind spots in my own field. The discussion of trauma-informed approaches particularly struck me, echoing the urgent need for healthcare systems to move beyond punitive models when serving survivors of violence.
Constructive Criticism: The Gender Lens Could Cut Deeper
While the book excels in challenging criminology’s foundations, I found myself wishing for a more robust feminist analysis, particularly regarding how gender intersects with race and class in experiences of criminalization. For instance, how might traditional criminological theories perpetuate harm against migrant women or fail to account for reproductive justice issues? The systemic critique is compelling, but a sharper intersectional lens could have strengthened its relevance for those working at the crossroads of gender equity and public health. That said, I recognize this wasn’t the book’s primary focus—my critique simply reflects the perspective I bring as someone immersed in public health justice work.
Gratitude & Final Thoughts
Thank you to the publisher for the free copy. Troubling Criminology serves as both mirror and provocation, challenging readers to examine how even well-intentioned systems can reproduce harm. For public health practitioners, it’s a crucial reminder that our fields share responsibility for either dismantling or perpetuating structural violence. While the book left me with more questions than answers, that’s precisely its strength—it unsettles comfortable assumptions, creating space for more transformative approaches to justice.
Rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5) — A thought-provoking critique that will linger in your consciousness and practice long after reading.
Note: My review inevitably reflects my public health background, but this book’s willingness to critically examine its own discipline offers a model more fields should emulate.
As a public health practitioner, I approached Troubling Criminology with both professional curiosity and personal trepidation. The book’s critical examination of how criminology often reinforces systemic harm rather than challenging it resonated deeply with my work addressing gender-based violence and structural inequities in healthcare. While not explicitly a public health text, its unflinching analysis of power dynamics felt immediately relevant to the injustices I confront daily in marginalized communities.
Emotional Reactions: Between Recognition and Restlessness
Reading this book was an intellectually invigorating yet emotionally complex experience. The authors’ dismantling of criminology’s traditional frameworks mirrored my own frustrations with how public health systems sometimes individualize what are fundamentally structural problems. There were moments of profound validation—when the text exposed how institutions pathologize vulnerable populations—and moments of discomfort, as I reflected on similar blind spots in my own field. The discussion of trauma-informed approaches particularly struck me, echoing the urgent need for healthcare systems to move beyond punitive models when serving survivors of violence.
Constructive Criticism: The Gender Lens Could Cut Deeper
While the book excels in challenging criminology’s foundations, I found myself wishing for a more robust feminist analysis, particularly regarding how gender intersects with race and class in experiences of criminalization. For instance, how might traditional criminological theories perpetuate harm against migrant women or fail to account for reproductive justice issues? The systemic critique is compelling, but a sharper intersectional lens could have strengthened its relevance for those working at the crossroads of gender equity and public health. That said, I recognize this wasn’t the book’s primary focus—my critique simply reflects the perspective I bring as someone immersed in public health justice work.
Gratitude & Final Thoughts
Thank you to the publisher for the free copy. Troubling Criminology serves as both mirror and provocation, challenging readers to examine how even well-intentioned systems can reproduce harm. For public health practitioners, it’s a crucial reminder that our fields share responsibility for either dismantling or perpetuating structural violence. While the book left me with more questions than answers, that’s precisely its strength—it unsettles comfortable assumptions, creating space for more transformative approaches to justice.
Rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5) — A thought-provoking critique that will linger in your consciousness and practice long after reading.
Note: My review inevitably reflects my public health background, but this book’s willingness to critically examine its own discipline offers a model more fields should emulate.
December 2, 2025
This was the text book for my university criminology course I took with Mike Larson. I personally loved the back and forth writing style. It felt like reading a podcast transcript. And I quite enjoyed it! I loved the class!!
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews