Criminology: Theory and Context

How do criminologists attempt to explain the phenomena of crime and deviance? This accessible and engaging textbook provides some answers to this question by providing a historical and theoretical introduction to criminology, examining the chronology of criminological theory, the social and political context of its development and its relationship with the criminal justice system.

Fully revised and updated, this text brings the discussion of theory up to the present day and includes further coverage of feminist and gendered theories of crime and criminality and the impact of cybercrime, transnational crime and globalized security on criminological theory. This book emphasises the political underpinnings to theoretical perspectives and encourages students to recognise the need to locate theories of crime and deviance in their structural contexts.

The new edition is even more engaging for students than before. It contains more detailed and structured introductions and summaries in each chapter, as well as web-links, lists of further reading and study questions to encourage critical thinking. Throughout the book, students are encouraged to think about and apply theoretical understanding to concrete examples, making the book essential reading for courses on criminological theory and advanced issues in criminology.

John Tierney is a retired lecturer in criminology from Durham University. Maggie O’Neill is Professor of Criminology at Durham University.