NCJ Number
180934
Editor(s)
Fiona Brookman,
Lesley Noaks,
Emma Wincup
Date Published
1999
Length
191 pages
Annotation
This collection of original papers explores the application of qualitative research to a wide range of criminological topics.
Abstract
Topics covered in the volume include traditional areas of criminological inquiry such as violent crime and topics that have only recently entered research agendas, for example, private policing. Chapters are organized around the process of criminalization and responses to crime and criminal activity. One of the book’s recurring themes is acknowledgment that the boundaries of criminal behavior are socially constructed and are therefore shifting and fluid entities. Contributions span the historical perspective and the book claims that the concepts of crime and deviance and responses to crime and deviance are historically relative. The book is also concerned with researching responses to crime and criminal activity. While all chapters deploy some form of qualitative methods, the particular approaches were varied and included interviews, participant observation, focus groups, documentary analysis and oral histories. Notes, references