International Criminology

Rob Watts is Professor of Social Policy at Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology University, Australia. He is an award-winning university teacher and the author and co-author of many books including Sociology Australia (2007) with Judith Bessant, and States of Violence (forthcoming).Judith Bessant is Professor of Youth Studies and Sociology at Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology University, Australia, and is one of the most published social scientists in Australia. She publishes and teaches in the areas of youth studies, social policy, social history and sociology. Richard Hil is Senior Lecturer in the School of Arts and Social Sciences at Southern Cross University, Australia. His main areas of interest are youth justice, child and family welfare, criminology, and peace and conflict studies. Richard is founder and director of the Bellingen Institute and associate director of the Centre for Peace and Social Justice at Southern Cross University.

"This comprehensive volume is sure to put a new face on criminology, where it's been, where it is now and what to expect in the future. Well-written, well thought out and informative, it is a must-read for anyone in the criminology field."J.A. Hitchcock, Cyber Crime Expert and President of Working to Halt Online Abuse"In an age of globalization, Watts, Bessant, and Hill have written a provocative and exciting introduction to criminology that will be well received by students who are venturing into their first course on the topic. The authors' approach to the discipline is both historical and comparative and is a welcome addition to most mainstream texts that are rarely critical and are usually provincial in content."Gregg Barak, Professor of Criminology & Criminal Justice, Eastern Michigan University, USA"In this engaging and highly readable textbook, Watts, Bessant, and Hil challenge students to think critically not only about popular conceptions of crime and offenders, but also about what criminologists do and are supposed to do. With jargon-free prose and apt examples from various countries, the authors encourage students to question and reflect on the "facts" about crime, and guide them beyond the comfort zones of their personal and national boundaries. This book is a refreshingly innovative addition to the criminology textbook market."Claire Renzetti, Professor of Sociology, University of Dayton, USA and author of Feminist Criminology (Routledge, forthcoming)"Blending historical inquiry with critical analysis, this highly engaging introduction to criminology should be on the reading list of everyone who is interested in crime and how we think about it." Dorothy Denning, Professor of Defense Analysis, Naval Postgraduate School, USA

• Introduction: Theoretical Traditions and Historical Perspectives 1. What is Crime?: How Criminologists Think about Crime 2. The Origins of Modern Criminology 3. The Consolidation of Modern Criminology 4. Dissenting Criminology: Issues in Contemporary Criminology 5. A Guide to Reading and Thinking about Criminology 6. Explaining Crime: Unemployment and Crime 7. Explaining Crime: Crime and the Family 8. Criminology and the Lure of Crime Prevention 9. Criminal Justice: Victimology and the Victim 10. Criminology and Corporate Crime 11. Criminology and State Crime. Conclusion: Towards a Reflexive Criminology