Realist Criminology [electronic resource] /
Matthews, R.author.
This book challenges contemporary criminological thinking, providing a thorough critique of mainstream criminology, including both liberal criminology and administrative criminology. It sets a new agenda for theoretical and practical engagement, and for creating a more effective and just criminal justice system.
Description based upon print version of record.
Cover; Half-Title; Title; Copyright; Dedication; Contents; List of Figures; Preface; Acknowledgements; 4 Rational Choice, Routine Activities and Situational; 1 The Successes and Failures of Modern Criminology; The birth of modern criminology; Radical and critical criminology; The impact of feminist criminology; Administrative, pragmatic and managerialist criminologies; The contours of right realism and conservative criminology; The dimensions of liberal criminology; The failure of criminology and the need for critical realism; 2 A Framework of Analysis; From left realism to critical realism
The primacy of theoryThe significance of social class; Crime as a social construction; The structure and agency debate; Working in and against the state; Power; Defending human rights; Intervention: beyond 'what works'; Conclusion; 3 The Problem of Method; Engaging with social reality; Beyond cookbook criminology; The lure of empiricism; On causality; Voodoo criminology?; Ethnography; Doing realist research; Conclusion; Crime Prevention; The new criminologies of everyday life; Routine activities theory; Preventing terrorism?; Is it a theory?; Cultural wars; Predictably irrational
Freakonomics and the crime dropAssessing the utility of rational choice theory; Conclusion; 5 From Cultural Criminology to Cultural Realism; The cultural turn; The contribution of cultural criminology; A realist response; Defending and reconstructing cultural criminology; In search of cultural realism; Conclusion; 6 The Myth of Punitiveness Revisited; The problem of definition; Missing the punitive turn?; Engaging with the counterfactual; Changing public attitudes; Conclusion; 7 Governing the Present; Governing through crime?; Domestic abuse; The criminalisation of schools
The changing social and political significance of crimeThe shift towards pre-crime and security; Anti-social behaviour, incivilities and disorder; Governing through health and lifestyle; The changing nature of governance; Conclusion; References; Index
Includes bibliographical references (pages 156-176) and index.
This book challenges contemporary criminological thinking, providing a thorough critique of mainstream criminology, including both liberal criminology and administrative criminology. It sets a new agenda for theoretical and practical engagement, and for creating a more effective and just criminal justice system.
Social sciences—Philosophy.
Criminology.
Police.
Critical criminology.
Corrections.
Punishment.
Social Theory.
Criminology and Criminal Justice, general.
Policing.
Critical Criminology.
Criminological Theory.
Prison and Punishment.