Criminological theory texts typically follow a conventional format. Diverse writings are neatly packaged into schools of thought, which are given clear labels and conveyed a chapter at a time, with topics like control theory in one chapter and strain theory in another.
The Oxford Handbook of Criminological Theory takes a different approach across the criminological landscape. The volume is organized not around schools of thought but around themes that shape much thinking about and research on crime. This more unconventional approach seeks to show that criminological theory is not static but dynamic. In fact, most prominent scholars do not spend their time commenting upon and retesting theoretical propositions that have existed for many years. Rather, they move into more novel areas--areas often located in the interstitial junctures between more traditional theories. This Oxford Handbook presents a series of essays that captures not the past of criminology, but where theoretical explanation is headed. As a result, the volume is replete with new ideas, discussions of substantive topics with salient theoretical implications, and reviews and interpretations of literatures that illuminate promising avenues along which theory and research should evolve. Special attention is paid to how criminal participation is shaped intimately by individual traits, diverse social contexts, the situations in which the choice of crime is made, and exposure to coercive experiences. Each chapter can be read on its own--as furnishing an important analysis of a given theoretical issue--yet read as a whole, The Oxford Handbook of Criminological Theory offers a unique and deep understanding of criminology at its cutting edge.
Preface ; Contributors ; Section 1 Individual and Society ; Part I. Biosocial Criminology ; 1. Revisiting Lombroso ; Matt DeLisi ; 2. Biology and Crime ; Melissa Peskin, Yu Gao, Andrea L. Glenn, Anna Rudo-Hutt, Yaling Yang, and ; Adrian Raine ; 3. Parenting and Crime ; John Paul Wright and Kevin M. Beaver ; Part II. Individuals and Crime ; 4. The Psychology of Criminal Conduct ; Paula Smith ; 5. Risk Factors and Crime ; Emily E. Tanner-Smith, Sandra Jo Wilson, and Mark W. Lipsey ; Part III. Social Sources of Offending ; 6. Social Learning and Crime ; Emily Salisbury ; 7. Hirschi's Criminology ; Barbara J. Costello ; 8. General Strain and Urban Youth Violence ; Timothy Brezina and Robert Agnew ; 9. Social Support and Crime ; Matthew D. Makarios and Tara Livelsberger ; Part IV. Crime and the Life Course ; 10. Life-Course-Persistent Offenders ; Shawn D. Bushway ; 11. Change in Offending across the Life Course ; Christopher J. Sullivan ; 12. Two Approaches to Developmental/Life-Course Theorizing ; David P. Farrington and Rolf Loeber ; Section 2 Contexts of Offending ; Part V. Peers, Gangs, and Crime ; 13. Peer Networks and Crime ; Dana L. Haynie and Derek A. Kreager ; 14. Contemporary Gang Ethnographies ; Scott Decker and David Pyrooz ; 15. Girls, Friends, and Delinquency ; Jean Marie McGloin and Stephanie DiPietro ; 16. Gender and Theories of Delinquency ; Stacy De Coster, Karen Heimer, and Samantha R. Cumley ; Part VI. Communities and Crime ; 17. Neighborhood Ties, Control, and Crime ; Barbara D. Warner and Audrey C. Clubb ; 18. Community, Inequality, and Crime ; Graham C. Ousey and Matthew R. Lee ; 19. Street Culture and Crime ; Mark T. Berg and Eric A. Stewart ; 20. The Code of the Suburb and Drug Dealing ; Scott Jacques and Richard Wright ; Part VII. The American Experience and Crime ; 21. Social Institutions and Crime ; Steven F. Messner, Richard Rosenfeld, and Susanne Karstedt ; 22. The Market Economy and Crime ; Elliott Currie ; 23. Immigration and Crime ; Charis E. Kubrin ; Section 3 Choice and Opportunity ; Part VIII. Deciding to Offend ; 24. Choosing Street Crime ; Richard Wright and Volkan Topalli ; 25. Choosing White-Collar Crime ; Neal Shover, Andy Hochstetler, and Tage Alalehto ; 26. Emotions, Choice, and Crime ; Michael L. Benson and Tara Livelsberger ; Part IX. Opportunity Theories ; 27. Routine Activity Theory ; Arelys Madero-Hernandez and Bonnie S. Fisher ; 28. The Theory of Target Search ; Paul J. Brantingham and Patricia L. Brantingham ; 29. Crime Places and Place Management ; Tamara D. Madensen and John E. Eck ; 30. Multilevel Criminal Opportunity ; Pamela Wilcox, Brooke Miller Gialopsos, and Kenneth C. Land ; Section 4 Theories of Power and Punishment ; Part X. Critical Criminology ; 31. Coercion and Crime ; Thomas Vander Ven and Mark Colvin ; 32. Green Criminology ; Michael J. Lynch and Paul B. Stretesky ; Part XI. Theories of the Criminal Sanction ; 33. Perceptual Deterrence Theory ; Ray Paternoster and Ronet Bachman ; 34. The Effects of Imprisonment ; Cheryl Lero Jonson ; 35. Coercive Mobility ; Natasha A. Frost and Todd R. Clear ; Index
