An indispensable resource for all levels, this handbook provides up-to-date, in-depth summaries of the most important theories in criminology.
Provides original, cutting-edge, and in-depth summaries of the most important theories in criminology
Covers the origins and assumptions behind each theory, explores current debates and research, points out knowledge gaps, and offers directions for future research
Encompasses theory, research, policy, and practice, with recommendations for further reading at the end of each essay
Features discussions of broad issues and topics related to the field, such as the correlates of crime, testing theory, policy, and prediction
Clearly and accessibly written by leading scholars in the field as well as up-and-coming scholars
Notes on Contributors vii
1 Introduction: Theory and Contemporary Criminology 1
Charles R. Tittle
2 Correlates of Crime 18
Matt DeLisi and Michael G. Vaughn
3 Theory Testing In Criminology 37
Travis C. Pratt
4 Deterrence 50
Thomas A. Loughran, Ray Paternoster, and Douglas B. Weiss
5 Contemporary Biosocial Criminology: A Systematic Review of the Literature, 2000-2012 75
J.C. Barnes, Brian B. Boutwell, and Kevin M. Beaver
6 A Developmental Perspective on Adolescent Risk-Taking and Criminal Behavior 100
Elizabeth Cauffman, Caitlin Cavanagh, Sachiko Donley, and April Gile Thomas
7 Social Disorganization Theory's Greatest Challenge: Linking Structural Characteristics to Crime in Socially Disorganized Communities 121
Charis E. Kubrin and James C. Wo
8 Routine Activities, Delinquency, and Youth Convergences 137
Jose R. Agustina and Marcus Felson
9 Environmental Criminology 156
Aiden Sidebottom and Richard Wortley
10 Control as an Explanation of Crime and Delinquency 182
Chester L. Britt and Michael Rocque
11 Strain, Economic Status, and Crime 209
Robert Agnew
12 Social Learning Theory 230
Ronald L. Akers and Wesley G. Jennings
13 Cultural Processes, Social Order, and Criminology 241
Mark T. Berg, Eric A. Sevell, and Eric A. Stewart
14 Labeling Theory: Past, Present, and Future 271
Ruth Triplett and Lindsey Upton
15 Feminist Theory 290
Joanne Belknap
16 Critical Criminology 301
Martin D. Schwartz and Henry H. Brownstein
17 Integrating Criminological Theories 318
Marv Krohn and Jeffrey T. Ward
18 Developmental and Life-Course Theories of Crime 336
Tara Renae McGee and David P. Farrington
19 Biosocial Bases of Antisocial and Criminal Behavior 355
Frances R. Chen, Yu Gao, Andrea L. Glenn, Sharon Niv, Jill Portnoy, Robert Schug, Yaling Yang, and Adrian Raine
20 From Theory to Policy and Back Again 380
Scott H. Decker
21 How Do Criminologists Interpret Statistical Explanation of Crime? A Review of Quantitative Modeling in Published Studies 395
David Weisburd, Breanne Cave, and Alex R. Piquero
22 Situational Theory: The Importance of Interactions and Action Mechanisms in the Explanation of Crime 415
Per-Olof H. Wikström and Kyle Treiber
23 Macro-Level Theory: A Critical Component of Criminological Exploration 445
Eric P. Baumer and Ashley N. Arnio
24 What International Research Has Told Us About Criminological Theory 475
Olena Antonaccio and Ekaterina V. Botchkovar
25 Qualitative Criminology's Contributions to Theory 497
Andy Hochstetler and Heith Copes
Index 521
