Violent Criminal Acts and Actors Revisited

Lonnie Athens, an associate professor in the criminal justice department at Seton Hall University, has testified in court as an expert witness on violent crimes. He is the author of The Creation of Dangerous Violent Criminals.

"A brilliant extension of his earlier work." -- Norman K. Denzin, author of Hollywood Shot by Shot

• The problem : violent criminal acts and actors -- A review and critique of the dominant approaches taken in the study of violent criminality -- An interpretive approach -- Self as process : interpretation of the situation -- When interpretations of the situations lead to violent criminal acts -- Self as object : self images -- Self as object and process : the linkage between self-images and interpretations -- Careers of violent actors -- Conclusions. Data on convicted violent offenders. Participant observation of violent actors and acts -- A second look at violent criminal acts and actors -- The conflicting assumptions of positivism and interpretivism -- The origin of my interest in violent crime -- The preliminary phase : the self and the violent criminal act -- Theprincipal phase, I : violent criminal acts and actors -- The principal phrase, II : the larger theoretical implications -- The principal phase, III : the policy implications -- Final thoughts.