Criminology: Explaining Crime and Its Context

by Stephen E. Brown, Gilbert Geis, Finn-Aage Esbensen

This highly acclaimed criminology text presents an up-to-date review of rational choice theories, including deterrence, shaming and routine activities. It also incorporates current examples of deterrence research regarding domestic violence, drunk driving and capital punishment, and features thought-provoking discussion of the relativity of crime. The authors explore the crime problem, its context, and causes of crime.

The organization of the text reflects the fact that the etiology of crime must be at the heart of criminology. It examines contemporary efforts to redefine crime by focusing on family violence, hate crimes, white-collar misconduct with violent consequences, and other forms of human behavior often neglected by criminologists.

Extensive discussion of evolving laws are included, and while the prevalence of the scientific method in the field of criminology is highlighted, the impact of ideology on explanations of crime is the cornerstone of the book.

Comprehensive introductory text, emphasizing the ideology of crime.
Boxes throughout each chapter highlight the text with figures, features and highlights.
Each chapter concludes with key terms and concepts, key criminologists, key cases.

Genres: Textbooks, Nonfiction, Psychology

630 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1991

Reviews

[Monica]

This is a great textbook because it offers traditional and contemporary viewpoints of criminology. It examines subjects like law and crime demographics, statistics and crime distribution. Theories of crime such as classical, neoclassical, biogenic and physchogenic. The psychological perspectives are also examined and contrasted with current views and case scenarios. It is well explained and touches specific subjects such as juvenile delinquency while presenting the pros and cons of past and current legislation. It also reaches into social structure, social process and crime types ranging from violent, economic and digital. Perhaps one of the best characteristics of the textbook is that it opens the viewpoint and allows the reader to personalize the content by auto analyzing one's own perspective in contrast to a general population.