Summary

Offering a rich introduction to how scholars analyze crime, this Fifth Edition of the authors' clear, accessible text moves readers beyond often-mistaken common sense knowledge of crime to a deeper understanding of the importance of theory in shaping crime control policies. This thoroughly revised edition covers traditional and contemporary theory within a larger sociological and historical context and now includes new sources that assess the empirical status of the major theories, as well as updated coverage of crime control policies and their connection to criminological theory.