Companions in Crime: The Social Aspects of Criminal Conduct

Cambridge Studies in Criminology

by Mark Warr

The idea of peer influence as a cause of delinquency has been around since the 1930s, when Edwin Sutherland offered his theory of differential association. Although that theory and similar ones remain popular and have strong empirical support, more recent theories reject the idea completely. This book surveys the research literature on peer influence, reveals that most offenders are imbedded in a network of friends and accomplices, and describes numerous possible mechanisms of peer influence.

Genres: Sociology, Nonfiction

192 pages, Paperback

First published February 18, 2002

Reviews

[Jen]

Not that I read this book because I necessarily wanted to, but for an academic exploration it was good. It was a nice overview and introduction to peer influence as a tool of criminology. I do have to think that Warr somehow has it out for Control Theory and Gottfredson and Hirschi though.

[Alejandra Nava]

Interesting book had some really good insights.