Explaining Crime: A Primer in Criminological Theory

207 Pages·2010·1.41 MB·English

by  Hugh D. Barlow

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE / CRIMINOLOGY W
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“Explaining Crime is essential reading for anyone seeking an in-depth, highly intelligible K
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overview of major criminological theories. Hugh D. Barlow and David Kauzlarich have Z
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produced a text that will make students enjoy taking theory classes and help them fully R
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engage with classical and contemporary perspectives on crime, law, and social control.”
—Walter S. DeKeseredy, Ph.D., University of Ontario Institute of Technology
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This book provides a concise but comprehensive review of the full range of classic and
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contemporary theories of crime. With separate chapters on the nature and use of crimi-
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nological theory as well as theoretical application, the authors render the diffi cult task of
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making crime more understandable to the introductory student. All of the main theories in A
criminology are reviewed including classical and rational choice; biological, psychological, I
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and evolutionary; social structural; social process; and critical, general, and integrated
EXPLAINING CRIME
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approaches. Copious examples of the spirit of the theories are supplied, many with a popular
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culture connection (e.g., fi lm and music). The highly original fi nal chapter, titled “Putting
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Criminological Theory to Work,” provides readers with an integrated theoretical model that

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students can apply to virtually any type of crime. This book is well suited for use in under- A PRIMER IN CRIMINOLOGICAL THEORY
graduate and graduate courses in criminology, criminal justice, and deviance. R
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Special Features: Key terms, discussion questions, and suggested activities at the end of HUGH D. BARLOW & DAVID KAUZLARICH
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each chapter give faculty and students a jumping off point in their exploration of the book’s
central themes.
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HUGH D. BARLOW is professor emeritus of criminal justice studies at Southern Illinois R
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University, Edwardsville. I
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DAVID KAUZLARICH is professor and chair of sociology and criminal justice studies at GIM
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Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville. AR
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For orders and information please contact the publisher
RA owwhmolalyn o&w nLietdtl esfiu eblsdi dPiuabryli sohf eTrhse, IRnocw.man & Littlefi eld Publishing Group, Inc. LITRO
4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 200 TLEWM
Lanham, Maryland 20706 FIEAN
1-800-462-6420 LD &
www.rowmanlittlefi eld.com
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Explaining Crime

Explaining Crime
A Primer in
Criminological Theory
Hugh D. Barlow and David Kauzlarich
ROWMAN & LITTLEFIELD PUBLISHERS, INC.
Lanham (cid:129) Boulder (cid:129) New York (cid:129) Toronto (cid:129) Plymouth, UK
Published by Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
A wholly owned subsidiary of The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc.
4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 200, Lanham, Maryland 20706
http://www.rowmanlittlefield.com
Estover Road, Plymouth PL6 7PY, United Kingdom
Copyright © 2010 by Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by
any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval
systems, without written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer who
may quote passages in a review.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Information Available
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Barlow, Hugh D.
Explaining crime : a primer in criminological theory / Hugh Barlow and David
Kauzlarich.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-7425-6509-8 (cloth : alk. paper) — ISBN 978-0-7425-6510-4 (pbk. :
alk. paper) — ISBN 978-0-7425-6511-1 (electronic)
1. Criminology. 2. Crime. I. Kauzlarich, David. II. Title.
HV6018.B367 2010
364.01—dc22 2009031112
(cid:2) ™
The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of
American National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper
for Printed Library Materials, ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992.
Printed in the United States of America
Contents
Preface vii
1 The Basics of Criminological Theory 1
2 Classical and Rational Choice Theories 17
3 Biological, Psychological, and Evolutionary Theories 35
4 Social Structural Theories 51
5 Social Process Theories 73
6 Critical Theories 101
7 General and Integrated Theories 131
Epilogue: Tools for Using Criminological Theory 163
References 173
Index 193
About the Authors 197
v

Preface
This short book is derived from our larger work, Introduction to Criminology,
9th edition (Rowman & Littlefield, 2009). We have organized and written
this text with one goal in mind: to provide readers with a concise and highly
accessible review of major criminological theories. Designed primarily for
use in undergraduate courses on crime and deviance theory, we have tried
to keep students at the forefront of the writing process. Thus, we have devel-
oped both discussion questions and suggested activities for each chapter in
the hope of raising the level of student engagement with the material. Fur-
ther, as in our main criminology text, we have included several references to
popular music and film to animate some of the theoretical concepts found
throughout the book. We have also included an epilogue that provides stu-
dents with concrete concepts to facilitate the application of criminological
theory to a variety of crimes.
We are indebted to many colleagues, students, reviewers, and the staff at
Rowman & Littlefield for providing the support necessary to produce this
text. Chief among these helping hands are Alan McClare, our editor, Karen
Ackermann, production editor, and Evan Wiig, editorial assistant. Many
colleagues have also directly or indirectly aided in our efforts. We especially
thank Jeff Ferrell, Ron Kramer, David Friedrichs, and Dawn Rothe, whose
intellectual insights made this a better book. Graduate sociology students
Josh Lucker, Michael Leber, and Eva-Sophia Clark also lended assistance to
this book.
This book is dedicated to our partners, Sandy and Lavender, and to our
children, a constant source of love and inspiration.
vii

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The Basics of
Criminological Theory
Criminologists study how, why, when, where, and under what conditions
crime, criminality, and victimization occur. Like any academic discipline,
there are a variety of ways criminologists think about and research causal-
ity. Some scholars of crime seek to map out crime in its relationship to
social environments, such as the economy, in institutions such as schools
and families, and in group dynamics, while others focus on individual
decision-making processes. Criminologists have created and tested dozens
of theories (and many more variants of formal theories) in order to better
understand, explain, and hopefully do something about crime in the real
world. Such study and theorizing is not as straightforward and simple as it
may sound. The truth is that there is a lot going on with crime, and crimi-
nological theories try to find out what exactly these things are.
Let’s start with a classroom example. Occasionally we ask our students
at the beginning of our criminology classes the difficult question “What
causes crime?” In response, it is not uncommon for students to identify
things such as poverty, dysfunctional families, racism, peer pressure, lazi-
ness, and the lack of good jobs. When probed to elaborate, some argue that
if people can’t find a good job, they can’t make the bills, and so they decide
to commit crimes (for example, steal money or sell drugs) to get by. Other
students say that when parents fail to provide rules and guidelines for their
children’s behavior, there can be no accountability, let alone discipline, and
therefore kids will be more likely to get into trouble because they do not
fear punishment. Criminologists have found that while both of these lines
of reasoning have merit, they do not capture the real working dynamics or
root causes of crime commission. Because crime is complicated, there are
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