Reviews: Criminological Theory: Readings and Retrospectives
| Published date | 01 September 2010 |
| DOI | 10.1177/02645505100570030905 |
| Date | 01 September 2010 |
| Author | Elizabeth Bledsoe |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
then it would be remiss not to comment on the work of the contributors. Though I
haven’t finished reading the entire collection, every entry that I have read so far has
provided precisely the right balance of contextualizing biography and critical
appraisal of the thinker’s work. And if the editors had feared that their collection
might encourage students or others to skim the surface of criminology, I think the
quality of the contributions will already have put any such concerns to rest. Every
entry invites the reader to dive more deeply into the work of these key contributors
to criminology. For this reason, I think this is a book that will tempt not just new stu-
dents, but experienced practitioners and academics into new kinds of engagements
with this ‘rendezvous discipline’.
Fergus McNeill
Professor of Criminology and Social Work, University of Glasgow
Criminological Theory: Readings and
Retrospectives
Heith Copes and Volkan Topalli (eds)
McGraw Hill Publishing; 2010; pp 492; £38.99, pbk
ISBN: 978–0–07338–001–8
Occasionally, I have heard others describe the American
criminal justice system as being spatially and temporally
relevant. While I didn’t initially understand the meaning
of this observation, I am finding it to be increasingly true when considering the
ongoing evolution of the criminal justice system and our understanding of human
behaviour. The nature of the American system is kept dynamic by changes that occur
in society’s views about the causes and consequences of crime. This evolutionary
process is driven heavily by the level of importance we place on various criminolo-
gical theories.
This book begins like most with its preface detailing the objectives of its editors
and authors. According to Copes and Topalli, the popularity of criminology as an
academic discipline has increased substantially over the past few years. Despite this
popularity, the editors claim that theory-based courses are in serious need of quality
texts that blend classic theoretical perspectives with contemporary views. The editors
contend that Criminological Theory provides readers with a well-rounded examina-
tion of how specific theories have developed and evolved over time. Also offered
are analyses of these theories by current employees of the American criminal justice
system.
Criminological Theory consists of nine sections, each being a compilation of
appropriate readings. A sample of section-titles includes ‘Classical and Neoclassi-
cal Theories’, ‘Biosocial Theories’, ‘Subcultural Theories’, ‘Control Theories’, ‘Inter-
actionist Theories’, and ‘Critical Theories’. This collection was penned by some of
the most noted criminologists in North America including Lawrence Cohen, James
Q Wilson, Clifford Shaw, Travis Pratt, Robert Merton, Ronald Akers, Richard
Reviews 347
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