Book review: A Criminology of Moral Order
| Author | Emma Milne |
| Published date | 01 April 2022 |
| Date | 01 April 2022 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/1748895820911796 |
| Subject Matter | Book reviews |
344 Criminology & Criminal Justice 22(2)
explicitly considering ‘how the larger, social contexts in which mothers must operate
contribute to her lethal violence’ (p. 13). By contextualising women’s violence against
their infants in the structures of ideologies of ‘good mothering’, Smithey outlines how
women assess their parenting actions and the behaviour of their infant against unrealistic
standard, coming to the inevitable conclusion that they are simply not good enough
mothers. As such, the crying of the baby and the inability to escape that crying, due to
social-cultural circumstances that constrict parenting activities for all but the wealthy,
results in a situation whereby force to gain compliance is not an unreasonable or unex-
pected next step for a mother. As such, Smithey roots mother’s fatal assaults of their
infants firmly within the structures of patriarchy, exposing another consequence of gen-
der economic and cultural inequality.
As a conclusion of her analysis, Smithey briefly touches on the unhelpfulness of crim-
inal justice and social services interventions, identifying the condemnation of ‘bad moth-
ering’ as an element of the problem, rather than part of the solution, particularly in
relation to stringent punishments and criminal justice responses (which is common in the
United States comparative to legal jurisdictions that have the offence of infanticide, such
as the England and Wales, Canada and New Zealand). As part of this conclusion, Smithey
carefully skirts around the question of women’s agency in committing these violent acts.
An assessment of agency was not a focus of Smithey’s analysis and so my comments
here are not to note a limitation of the book. However, the complex and compelling
analysis that Smithey presents lends itself to further develop this idea of agency and what
role criminal control and punishment should play in response to maternal infant filicide
if, as Smithey argues, the causes of this violence are entirely rooted in patriarchal capital-
ism, the oppression of women by men, and devaluation and disregard for the stresses and
strains of raising children. The question of women’s agency as criminal offenders is one
that has been at the focus of feminist criminology for decades and that still requires theo-
risation, particularly in light of sociological analysis of criminal activity, such as that
provided by Smithey.
Overall, this is a compelling book that provides an excellent overview of the issue of
maternal violence towards their infants. The data presented and sociological theorisation
is impressive. The book is well written, and the reader is walked through the theory,
identifying the steps towards fatal maternal violence. The selected extracts from the
interviews add depth and dynamic to the theorisation, supporting Smithey’s arguments
and facilitating understanding.
Hans Boutellier, A Criminology of Moral Order, Bristol University Press: Bristol, 2019; 176
pp.: 978-1529203752, £60 (hbk)
Reviewed by: Emma Milne, University of Plymouth, UK
DOI: 10.1177/1748895820911796
In A Criminology of Moral Order, Hans Boutellier’s aim is to develop a better under-
standing of the moral dynamic of society. Boutellier outlines how moral order is
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