Table of Contents

1. THEORY AND CRIME; Spiritual Explanations; Natural Explanations; Scientific Theories; Causation in Scientific Theories; Three Frames of Reference; Relationships among the Three Frames of Reference; 2. CLASSICAL CRIMINOLOGY; The Social and Intellectual Background of Classical Criminology; Beccaria and the Classical School; From Classical Theory to Deterrence Research; Three Types of Deterrence Research; Rational Choice and Offending; Routine Activities and Victimization; Conclusions; 3. BIOLOGICAL FACTORS AND CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR; Background: Physical Appearance and Defectiveness; Lombroso, the "Born Criminal" and Positivist Criminology; Goring's Refutation of the "Born Criminal"; Body Type Theories; Family Studies; Twin and Adoption Studies; Neurotransmitters; Hormones; The Central Nervous System; The Autonomic Nervous System; Environmentally Induced Biological Components of Behavior; Implications and Conclusions; 4. PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS AND CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR; Intelligence and Crime: Background Ideas and Concepts; IQ Tests and Criminal Behavior; Delinquency, Race, and IQ; Interpreting the Association Between Delinquency and IQ; Personality and Criminal Behavior; Psychopathy and Antisocial Personality Disorder; Clinical Prediction of Future Dangerousness; Actuarial Prediction of Later Crime and Delinquency; Depression and Delinquency; Impulsivity and Crime; Policy Implications of Personality Research; Conclusions; 5. CRIME AND POVERTY; Historical Background: Guerry and Quetelet; Research on Crime and Poverty: Contradictions and Disagreements; Crime and Unemployment: A Detailed Look at Research; Problems Interpreting Research on Crime and Economic Conditions; Implications and Conclusions; 6. DURKHEIM, ANOMIE, AND MODERNIZATION; Emile Durkheim; Crime as Normal in Mechanical Societies; Anomie as a Pathological State in Organic Societies; Durkheim's Theory of Crime; Conclusion; 7. NEIGHBORHOODS AND CRIME; The Theory of Human Ecology; Research in the "Delinquency Areas" of Chicago; Policy Implications; Residential Succession, Social Disorganization, and Crime; Sampson's Theory of Collective Efficacy; Expanding Interest in Neighborhood Social Processes; Implications and Conclusions; 8. STRAIN THEORIES; Robert K. Merton and Anomie in American Society; Strain as the Explanation of Gang Delinquency; 1960s Strain-Based Policies; The Decline and Resurgence of Strain Theories; Strain in Individuals; Strain in Societies; Conclusion; 9. LEARNING THEORIES; Basic Psychological Approaches to Learning; Sutherland's Differential Association Theory; Research Testing Sutherland's Theory; The Content of Learning: Cultural and Subcultural Theories; The Learning Process: Social Learning Theory; Athens's Theory of "Violentization"; Implications; Conclusions; 10. CONTROL THEORIES; Early Control Theories: Reiss to Nye; Matza's Delinquency and Drift; Hirschi's Social Control Theory; Assessing Social Control Theory; Gottfredson and Hirschi's A General Theory of Crime; Assessing Gottfredson and Hirschi's General Theory; Implications and Conclusions; 11. THE MEANING OF CRIME; The Meaning of Crime to the Self: Labeling Theory; The Meaning of Crime to the Criminal: Katz's Seductions of Crime; The Situational Meaning of Crime: Zimbardo's Lucifer Effect; The Meaning of Crime to the Larger Society: Deviance and Social Reaction; State Power and the Meaning of Crime: Controlology; Implications and Conclusions; 12. CONFLICT CRIMINOLOGY; Early Conflict Theories: Sellin and Vold; Conflict Theories in a Time of Conflict: Turk, Quinney, and Chambliss and Seidman; Black's Theory of the Behavior of Law; A Unified Conflict Theory of Crime; Testing Conflict Theory; Implications and Conclusions; 13. MARXISM AND POSTMODERN CRIMINOLOGY; Overview of Marx's Theory; Marx on Crime, Criminal Law, and Criminal Justice; The Emergence of Marxist Criminology; Marxist Theory and Research on Crime; Overview of Postmodernism; Postmodern Criminology; Conclusion; 14. GENDER AND CRIME; The Development of Feminist Criminology; Schools of Feminist Criminology; Gender in Criminology; Why Are Women's Crime Rates So Low?; Why Are Men's Crime Rates So High?; Conclusions; 15. DEVELOPMENTAL THEORIES; The Great Debate: Criminal Careers, Longitudinal Research, and the Relationship Between Age and Crime; Criminal Propensity vs. Criminal Career; The Transition to Developmental Criminology; Three Developmental Directions; Thornberry's Interactional Theory; Sampson and Laub's Age-Graded Theory of Informal Social Control; Tremblay's Developmental Origins of Physical Aggression; Conclusions; 16. INTEGRATED THEORIES; Elliott's Integrated Theory of Delinquency and Drug Use; The Falsification vs. Integration Debate; Braithwaite's Theory of Reintegrative Shaming; Tittle's Control Balance Theory; Coercion and Social Support; Bernard and Snipes's Approach to Integrating Criminology Theories; Agnew's General Theory; Conclusion; 17. ASSESSING CRIMINOLOGY THEORIES; Science, Theory, Research, and Policy; Individual Difference Theories; Structure/Process Theories; Theories of the Behavior of Criminal Law; Conclusion; Index

About the Author

Thomas J. Bernard is Professor of Sociology and Criminal Justice at The Pennsylvania State University.

Jeffrey B. Snipes is Associate Professor of Criminal Justice Studies at San Francisco State University.

Alexander L. Gerould is a full-time faculty member in the Criminal Justice Studies Department at San Francisco State University.

Reviews

"When teaching criminology, I seek to provide sophisticated accounts of a wide range of theoretical perspectives coupled with a selection of the best empirical research on the key issues important to the field. Over the years, I continue to find that Theoretical Criminology is the book that best fits my teaching goals. It is an excellent teaching tool and its breadth and depth of coverage is unparalleled. I highly recommend this book for advanced undergraduates as well as graduate students."--John H. Laub, University of Maryland, College Park"I have been impressed with the previous editions of this highly regarded textbook, and the new, updated edition continues that fine tradition. The reviews of theoretical approaches and associated research are consistently comprehensive, balanced, and highly readable. The book excels at two levels: it works well in the classroom, and it serves as a valuable resource for the professional criminologist."--Steven F. Messner, University at Albany, State University of New York"Vold's Theoretical Criminology is the classic text on criminological theory, providing an exceptional overview of the development of crime theories and a comprehensive examination of every major theory, including the many theories developed in recent years. Further, the book makes a theoretical contribution itself, through its insightful discussion of crime theories. This is an excellent text for any course on criminological theory."--Robert Agnew, Emory University"The sixth edition of Vold's Theoretical Criminology demonstrates why this text is among the most complete and important overviews of criminological theories for students and faculty alike. It is the book from which I learned about theories of crime as an undergraduate student; the book that I turned to for a more advanced understanding and dissection of criminological theory as a graduate student; the book I suggest all of my graduate students read in order to learn about theory; and it has continued to be a key reading throughout my career as a faculty member. While theories of crime undergo change, it is comforting to know that Vold's Theoretical Criminology remains a pillar of continuity in its treatment of the origins of crime."--Alex R. Piquero, University of Maryland, College Park