Theoretical Criminology

by Vold, George B.; Bernard, Thomas J.; Snipes, Jeffrey B.

• ISBN13: 9780195073218
• ISBN10: 0195073215
• Edition: 4th
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1997-08-14
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

This fourth edition of Theoretical Criminology , the standard text and reference in its field, has been extensively revised and completely updated. New sections include material on neurotransmitters, environmentally induced biological components of behavior, impulsiveness and crime, neighborhoods as causes of crime, situational contexts of crime, the decline and resurgence of strain theories, and control-ology. The text also examines Gottfredson and Hirsch's General Theory of Crime, Katz's Seductions of Crime, Hagan's Structural Criminology, and Black's Behavior of Law, as well as postmodern criminology and feminist criminology. A new chapter on developmental criminology discusses criminal careers, longitudinal research, the relationship between age and crime, Thornberry's interactional theory, and Sampson and Laub's age-graded theory of informal social control. A second new chapter on integrated theories discusses recent efforts by Elliott et al., Braithwaite, Tittle, Vila, and Bernard and Snipes. The text presents each type of theory accurately and comprehensively within its historical context. Relevant empirical research is reviewed and assessed, and research issues related to theory testing are also discussed. The writing style is lively and readable, designed to appeal to students at all levels. Offering the most accurate, clear, and comprehensive presentation of criminology theories, Theoretical Criminology continues to retain its premier position in the field of criminology, a position it has held for almost 40 years.

Author Biography

The late George B. Vold was a Professor at the University of Minnesota from 1937 until his retirement in 1964. Vold, a renowned scholar, is the author of Prediction Methods and Parole (1931), Survey of Police Training (1937), and Man and Society (1937).
Thomas J. Bernard is Professor of Criminal Justice and Sociology at Pennsylvania State University. He is the author of The Consensus-Conflict Debate (1983) and The Cycle of Juvenile Justice (1992).
Jeffrey B. Snipes is Assistant Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Florida State University. His articles have appeared in Criminology, Crime and Justice, Law and Society Review, Social Forces, Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, and American Journal of Criminal Justice.

Table of Contents

Foreword	ix
Chapter One: Theory and Crime Spiritual Explanations--Natural Explanations--Classical Criminology--Positivist Criminology--The Behavior of Criminal Law--The Relationship Among the Various Frames of Reference	1	(13)
Chapter Two: Classical Criminology The Social and Intellectual Background of Classical Criminology--Beccaria and the Classical School--The NeoClassical School--Assessing Beccaria's Theory--Implications and Conclusions	14	(13)
Chapter Three: Positivist Criminology Guerry and Quetelet--Cesare Lombroso--Modern Criminology as the Search for the Causes of Crime--The Relation Between Positivist and Classical Theories--Conclusion	27	(13)
Chapter Four: Theories Related to Physical Appearance Physiognomy and Phrenology--Criminal Anthropology: Lombroso to Goring--Body Type Theories: Sheldon to Cortes--Conclusion	40	(12)
Chapter Five: Theories Related to Intelligence Background Ideas and Concepts--Intelligence Testing and Crime--Current Controversies: Delinquency, Race, and IQ--Interpreting the Association Between Delinquency and IQ--The Bell Curve--Conclusion	52	(16)
Chapter Six: Biological Factors and Criminal Behavior Family Studies--Twin and Adoption Studies--Neurotransmitters--Hormones--The Central Nervous System--The Autonomic Nervous System--Environmentally Induced Biological Components of Behavior-- Implications and Conclusions	68	(20)
Chapter Seven: The Personality of the Offender Historical Background: Psychiatry as a Springboard for Psychoanalytic Theory--Sigmund Freud and Psychoanalysis--Psychoanalytic Explanations of Criminal Behavior--Research Using Personality Tests--
Antisocial Personality Disorder--Predicting Future Dangerousness--Impulsivity and Crime--Implications and Conclusions Chapter Eight: Crime and Economic Conditions Research on Crime and Economic Conditions: Contradictions and Disagreements--Crime and Unemployment: A Detailed Look at Research--Problems Interpreting Research on Crime and Economic Conditions-- Implications and Conclusions	108	(15)
Chapter Nine: Durkheim, Anomie, and Modernization Emile Durkheim--Crime as Normal in Mechanical Societies--Anomie as a Pathological State in Organic Societies--Assessing Durkheim's Theory of Crime--Conclusion	123	(17)
Chapter Ten: The Ecology of Crime The Theory of Human Ecology--Research in the "Delinquency Areas" of Chicago--Policy Implications--Recent Theory and Research on Neighborhoods as Causes of Crime--Situational Contexts of Crime--Conclusions	140	(18)
Chapter Eleven: Strain Theories Robert K. Merton and Anomie in American Society--Strain as the Explanation of Gang Delinquency--Policy Implications--The Decline and Resurgence of Strain Theories--Strain in Individuals and in Societies: Negative Emotions and Institutional Anomie--Conclusion	158	(21)
Chapter Twelve: Learning Theories Basic Psychological Approaches to Learning--Tarde's Laws of Imitation--Sutherland's Differential Association Theory--Research Testing Sutherland's Theory--The Content of Learning: Cultural and Subcultural Theories-- Learning Process: Social Learning Theory--Implications--Conclusions	179	(22)
Chapter Thirteen: Control Theories Early Control Theories: Reiss to Nye--Matza's Delinquency and Drift Hirschi's Social Control Theory--Assessing Social Control Theories--From Social Control to Self-Control: Gottfredson and Hirschi's General Theory of Crime--Conclusions	201	(18)
Chapter Fourteen: The Meaning of Crime The Meaning of Crime to the Self: Labeling Theory--The Meaning of Crime to the Criminal: Katz's Seductions of Crime--The Meaning of Crime to the Larger Society: Deviance and Social Reaction--State Power and the Meaning of Crime: Control-ology--Implications and Conclusions	219	(16)
Chapter Fifteen: Conflict Criminology Sellin's Culture Conflict Theory--Vold's Group Conflict Theory--Quinney's Theory of the Social Reality of Crime--Turk's Theory of Criminalization--Chambliss and Seidman's Analysis of the Criminal Justice System-- McGarrell and Castellano's Integrative Conflict Model--Hagan's Structural Criminology--Black's Behavior of Law--A Unified Conflict Theory of Crime--Testing Conflict Theory--Policy Implications--Conclusion	235	(25)
Chapter Sixteen: Critical Criminology Marxism and Marxist Criminology--Postmodernism and Postmodernist Criminology--Feminism and Feminist Criminology--Assessments of Critical Theories	260	(24)
Chapter Seventeen: Developmental Criminology The Great Debate: Criminal Careers. Longitudinal Research, and the Relationship Between Age and Crime--Criminal Propensity vs. Criminal Career--The Transition to Developmental Criminology--Thornberry's Interactional Theory--Sampson and Laub's Age-Graded Theory of Informal Social Control--Conclusion	284	(16)
Chapter Eighteen: Integrated Theories Elliott et al.'s Integrated Theory--Braithwaite's Theory of Reintegrative Shaming--Title's Control Balance Theory--Vila's General Paradigm--Bernard and Snipes's Integrated Model--Conclusion	300	(16)
Chapter Nineteen: Assessing Criminology Theory Science, Theory, Research, and Policy--Individual Difference Theories--Structure/Process Theories--Theories of the Behavior of Criminal Law--Conclusion	316	(21)
Subject Index	337	(8)
Name Index	345