Criminological Theory

"I have long regarded this book as the most comprehensive and resolutely up-to-date theory text on the market. The authors always make the effort to stay up to date and incorporate the latest ideas, and students find their trawl through 20th century criminological theory the most accessible and informative. In each chapter there is a good balance of discussion and standard critiques, which students find useful for their essays and dissertations."

 "The overall organization of the book is very good – this follows a logical pattern of development in relation to not only the historical development of theory, but also the process through which subsequent theories have built on previous frameworks. As a result, it is quite clear how theories and blocks of theory ‘fit together’."

"Lilly et al is used on the modules as a recommended text. The text was chosen as it covers major theories in a clear and accessible manner to undergraduates. The strength of the book is it gives adequate consideration to the major theories we wish to cover in the modules many other theory books skip adequate consideration of scientific theory (ie chapter 2)."

"Indeed, a major strength of the Lilly et al. text is that it provides a succinct explanation of the theories that is easily understood by students."

"The depth of coverage, the accessible writing style, and the infusion of personal context material were all leading factors motivating my decision to use the Lilly text."

"I do use Lilly, Criminological Theory for CRIM 4321 because it provides a comprehensive collections of major criminological theories that are presented in a straight forward manner in a text that is “student friendly.”  By this I mean that the information is both challenging but also in a format that is easy to read and comprehend."

"I assigned Lilly, Cullen, and Ball in this course. Being a 5th edition title, it is a culmination of the hard work and dedication of the authors to continue to update a well crafted text.  The benefits of this book is that it explains the social and political events which led to the development and popularity of each theory. This allows students to grasp the somewhat discordant assumptions criminologists made over the years and better understand the casual order of each theory. The authors have done a masterful job of framing years of accumulated criminological theory into an approachable format."

"In terms of readability, the 5th edition of Lilly is superior to Vold and superior in terms of coverage as well.  Also, I really like the contextual information provided with each theory as well as the implications of each theory, this is much better than Vold."

"The strength of the Lilly text (compared to Siegel’s) is that it puts events and theories in historical perspective and connects them with the individual lives of the key theorists and the larger sociopolitical ...

J. Robert Lilly is Regents Professor of Sociology/Criminology Emeritus at Northern Kentucky University. His research interests include the pattern of capital crimes committed by U.S. soldiers during World War II, the commercialcorrections complex, juvenile delinquency, house arrest and electronic monitoring, criminal justice in the Peoples Republic of China, the sociology of law, and criminological theory. He has published in Criminology, the British Journal of Criminology, Crime and Delinquency, Social Problems, Legal Studies Forum, Northern Kentucky Law Review, Journal of Drug Issues, The New Scholar, Adolescence, Qualitative Sociology, Federal Probation, International Journal of Comparative and Applied Criminal Justice, Justice Quarterly, and The Howard Journal of Criminal Justice. He has coauthored several articles and book chapters with Richard A. Ball, and he is coauthor of House Arrest and Correctional Policy: Doing Time at Home (1988). In 2003, he published La Face Cache des GIs: Les Viols commis par des soldats amrcains en France, en Angleterre et en Allemange pendat la Second Guerre mondial, 19421945. It was translated into Italian and published (2004) as Stuppi Di Guerra: Le Violenze Commesse Dai Soldati Americani in Gran Bretagna, Francia e Germania 19421945. It was published in English in 2007 as Taken by Force: Rape and American GIs in Europe During World War II. The latter work is part of his extensive research on patterns of crimes and punishments experienced by U.S. soldiers in WWII in the European theater of war. The Hidden Face of the Liberators, a made-for-TV documentary by Program 33 (Paris), was broadcast in Switzerland and France in March 2006 and was a finalist at the International Television Festival of Monte Carlo in 2007. He is the past treasurer of the American Society of Criminology. In 1988, he was a visiting professor in the School of Law at Leicester Polytechnic and was a visiting scholar at All Souls College in Oxford, England. In 1992, he became a visiting professor at the University of Durham in England. Between 2006 and 2012, he was coeditor of The Howard Journal of Criminal Justice. Most recently he has been working on the historical development and impact of qualified immunity for police officers in the United States.

Francis T. Cullen is Distinguished Research Professor Emeritus and Senior Research Associate in the School of Criminal Justice at the University of Cincinnati, where he also holds a joint appointment in sociology. He received a Ph.D. (1979) in sociology and education from Columbia University. Professor Cullen has published more than 500 works in the areas of criminological theory, corrections, white-collar crime, public opinion, sexual victimization, an...

Chapter 1: The Context and Consequences of Theory Theory in Social Context Theory and Policy: Ideas Have Consequences Context, Theory, and Policy: Plan of the Book Chapter 2: The Search for the "Criminal Man" Spiritualism The Classical School: Criminal as Calculator The Positivist School: Criminal as Determined The Consequence of Theory: Policy Implications Chapter 3: Rejecting Individualism: The Chicago School The Chicago School of Criminology: Theory in Context Shaw and McKay's Theory of Juvenile Delinquency Sutherland's Theory of Differential Association The Chicago School's Criminological Legacy Control and Culture in the Community Akers's Social Learning Theory The Consequences of Theory: Policy Implications Chapter 4: Crime in American Society: Anomie and Strain Theories Merton's Strain Theory Forerunners of Control Theory Status Discontent and Delinquency The Criminological Legacy of "Classic" Strain Theory Agnew's General Strain Theory A Theory of African American Offending Crime and the American Dream: Institutional-Anomie Theory The Market Economy and Crime The Future of Strain Theory The Consequences of Theory: Policy Implications Chapter 5: Society as Insulation: The Origins of Control Theory Forerunners of Control Theory Early Control Theories Reckless's Containment Theory Sykes and Matza: Neutralization and Drift Theory Control Theory in Context Chapter 6: The Complexity of Control: Hirschi's Two Theories and Beyond Hirschi's First Theory: Social Bonds and Delinquency Hirschi's Second Theory: Self-Control and Crime The Complexity of Control The Consequences of Theory: Policy Implications Chapter 7: The Irony of State Intervention: Labeling Theory The Social Construction of Crime Labeling as Criminogenic: Creating Career Criminals The Consequences of Theory: Policy Implications Extending Labeling Theory Chapter 8: Social Power and the Construction of Crime: Conflict Theory Forerunners of Conflict Theory Theory in Context: The Turmoil of the s Varieties of Conflict Theory Consequences of Conflict Theory Chapter 9: New Directions in Critical Theory Modernity and Postmodernity Postmodern Criminological Thought: The End of Grand Narratives? Looking Back at Early British and European Influences Early Left Realism The New Criminology Revisited Left Realism Today The New European Criminology Cultural Criminology Convict Criminology Chapter 10: The Gendering of Criminology: Feminist Theory Background Prefeminist Pioneers and Themes The Emergence of New Questions: Bringing Women In The Second Wave: From Women's Emancipation to Patriarchy Varieties of Feminist Thought The Intersection of Race, Class, and Gender Masculinities and Crime Gendering Criminology Postmodernist Feminism and the Third Wave Consequences of Feminist Theory: Policy Implications Some Implications of Feminist Criminology for Corrections Chapter 11: Crimes of the Powerful: Theories of White-Collar Crime The Discovery of White-Collar Crime: Edwin H. Sutherland Organizational Culture Organizational Strain and Opportunity Deciding to Offend State-Corporate Crime Consequences of White-Collar Crime Theory: Policy Implications Chapter 12: Bringing Punishment Back In: Conservative Criminology Context: The United States of the s and Early s Varieties of Conservative Theory Crime and Human Nature: Wilson and Herrnstein Crime and The Bell Curve: Herrnstein and Murray The Criminal Mind Choosing to Be Criminal: Crime Pays Crime and Moral Poverty Broken Windows: The Tolerance of Public Disorganization Consequences of Conservative Theory: Policy Implications Chapter 13: Choosing Crime in Everyday Life: Routine Activity and Rational Choice Theories Routine Activity Theory: Opportunities and Crime Rational Choice Theory