Defining Crime A Critique of the Concept and Its Implication

by Lynch, Michael J.; Stretesky, Paul B.; Long, Michael A.

• ISBN13: 9781137479341
• ISBN10: 1137479345
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2015-07-16
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan

Summary

Defining Crime explores the limitations of the legal definition of crime, how that politically based definition has shaped criminological research, and why criminologists must redefine crime to include scientific objectivity. Lynch, Stretesky, and Long argue that a scientific definition of crime must be detached from criminal law and the variation the political construction imposes. The authors propose an alternative definition of crime, explore its limitations, and how it can reshape criminological research.

Author Biography

Michael J. Lynch is Professor of Criminology and Associated Faculty Member in the Patel School of Global Sustainability at the University of South Florida, USA.
 
Paul B. Stretesky is Professor of Criminology at Northumbria University, UK.
 
Michael A. Long is Senior Lecturer at Northumbria University, UK.

Table of Contents

1.Concerning the Definition of Crime
2.Let's Think About Crime
3.What is Crime?
4.Crime and Science
5.Crime and the Individual
6.Crime, the Concept versus Its Measurement as a Violation of the Criminal Law
7.Framing a Definition of Crime: Toward the Crime Definition 1.0
8.Concerns with the Explanation of Crime
9.Conclusion