NCJ Number
139339
Editor(s)
F Adler,
W S Laufer
Date Published
1993
Length
413 pages
Annotation
This book focuses on new approaches to criminological theory construction, with particular emphasis on reformulations and new applications of existing paradigms.
Abstract
It includes an assessment of labeling theory that demonstrates how the approach could become part of a more comprehensive explanation of crime. The author concludes that the ability of labeling theory to provide explanations of deviance will be enhanced as it is integrated with other theories in a comprehensive model of crime and delinquency. In a paper that proposes a resolution of key issues in the political sociology of law, a case is made for studying crime in terms of the social context in which crimes are conceived, interpreted, and negotiated. In the debate between crime-general and crime-specific theories of crime causes, studies have focused on the extent to which there are similarities or differences in the nature of those who commit very different types of crime. One paper examines the salience of crime-specific and crime-general approaches in the context of the distribution of crime across places. The study applies computer mapping techniques to police calls for service, so as to identify and analyze the distribution of specific offenses in what are characterized as "hot spots" of crime. A rethinking of Hirschi's control theory of crime is also presented. The volume includes theoretical discussions of spouse abuse, punishment, and power-control models. Additional chapters examine theoretical advances in corporate illegality, employee theft, and the relationship between alcohol use and theories of homicide. Chapter tables and references and a subject index