Reviewing Undergraduate Criminology Textbooks (1)
Eileen Berrington
Introduction
This is the first of a series of reviews of undergraduate textbooks. For details of the rest of this
series please see the HEA Social Sciences Blog.
The purpose of this project was to consider processes relating to the selection of undergraduate
text books for teaching. Programme and module booklets usually provide fairly extensive lists of
recommended texts, some of which may have been developed over time or by different members
of staff. The selection process, if there is one, is often pragmatic. Often, the only scrutiny of
selections is through the oversight of external examiners or at validation and review.
Information about texts can be accessed via publishers’ websites and catalogues, through direct
marketing and via word-of-mouth, which often represents the first step in the process of finding
new texts. Provision of copies for inspection and review provides lecturers with the opportunity
to examine material to ascertain its suitability for their teaching purposes. While a certain degree
of suitability can usually be assumed from the title, author’s name/affiliation and the publishers’
summary, it is still essential to peruse the material. For example, on closer inspection, it might
become apparent that there is insufficient focus on a particular topic that is covered in more detail
in another text; or the overall pitch and/or writing style may be at a level that is too advanced or
over-simplified.
In considering texts for adoption the following points may be significant:
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Overall content;
Structure;
Pitch;
Writing style;
Presentation/appearance;
Additional learning and teaching features (e.g. graphics and illustrations; review questions);
Companion websites that offer additional supporting materials.
These factors have been incorporated into the review conducted for this report. Other factors
that may be significant, but that have not featured in this review, include the cost and the size of
texts. It is inevitable that extensive provision of illustrations, tables and graphics, use of colour and
avoidance of small fonts will mean that some books, particularly those that provide a thorough,
generic account of theory, policy and practice are likely to be both expensive and bulky.
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Muncie, J. and McLaughlin, E. (Eds.) (2001) The Problem of Crime. London:
Sage. (2nd edition).
This text comprises an introduction written by the editors, followed by seven chapters dealing
with different dimensions of the ‘problem’ of crime (see Appendix 1). In the first chapter John
Muncie explores the problematic nature of what is meant by ‘crime’ including its definition (e.g.
breaking legal/moral codes, social construction of crime, ideological censure, and social harm).
Problems of measurement, statistics and hidden crime are presented, followed by discussion of the
role of the media, including news values and institutional sources, moral panics and fear of crime.
Chapter 2 (John Clarke) continues with a media theme through an overview of crime fiction,
discussing mysteries and ‘whodunits’, including Agatha Christie’s contribution to the genre, US
private eye stories and fictional police detectives. Clarke considers conventional (white, male) and
alternative representations – women, gay, lesbian and ethnic minority detectives, and concludes by
highlighting the significance of fictional representations in relation to assumed knowledge and
understanding of crime and disorder.
In Chapter 3 Jim Sharpe provides historical contextualisation within which to chart the
development of crime and punishment in England, beginning with the 18th Century (sin, crime and
social crime) and the development of a system of control (capital punishment, the ‘Bloody Code’,
courts and officers). After commenting on patterns in prosecution and punishment Sharpe outlines
issues relating to ‘community’ and informal sanctions, and developments associated with
industrialisation and urbanisation, including the identification of ‘dangerous classes’.
Chapter 4 ‘Dangerous Places: Crime and the City’ (Peggotty Graham and John Clarke) begins in
the 19th Century by considering perceived views on the city and ‘danger’ (dangerous places, people
and sexualities, and the dynamics of city and crime). The second section focuses on the early 20th
Century, including optimism associated with mobility and urban redevelopment, Chicago School
sociology and zones of transition. This is followed by discussion of emerging concerns, particularly
how young poor and old people were left behind in the inner city, to be joined by black and ethnic
minority groups for whom there was no other choice of housing, leading to assumed associations
between urban decline, crime, black and Asian communities and young inner city males, later
identified in Charles Murray’s ‘underclass’ discourse. In conclusion the authors outline more
recent initiatives and issues relating to inner city regeneration, social exclusion and surveillance.
Esther Saraga (Chapter 5) explores the family as a ‘dangerous place’ for women and children in
terms of the ‘rediscovery’ of domestic violence and child abuse, hidden crimes committed in the
private sphere that tended to be absent from traditional debates around law and order, and crime.
She shows how the 1990s saw the emergence of consideration of another hidden dimension of
crime – elder abuse, and how these types of crime challenge ideology of ‘normal’ families and
family life, encouraging perceptions of dysfunction. The chapter highlights issues relating to
changing definitions and conceptualisations and the role of feminist theory on discourses of child
abuse and domestic violence. Saraga concludes by focusing on family violence in relation to child
protection and family support, children’s rights and changes in policing.
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The penultimate chapter, by Gordon Hughes with Mary Langan, explores corporate and organised
crime and begins with discussion of questions of ambiguity and power, including their definitions,
and the diverse and ambiguous nature of corporate crime. Myths and realities surrounding
organised crime are explored in the next section, which includes consideration of organised crime
as ‘work and rational enterprise’, and considers the influence of globalisation and change. Further
sections focus on capitalism and markets, connections between ‘licit and illicit enterprises’ and a
case study of post-communist Russia.
Eugene McLaughlin’s concluding chapter ‘Political Violence, Terrorism and States of Fear’ begins by
theorising political violence and unravelling some theoretical explanations of ‘terrorism’, its
purpose and those who engage in acts defined as such. He explores the idea of terrorism as
‘ideological censure’ before discussing issues relating to terrorism committed by states, and ‘the
politics of justice’. In terms of internal regulation and control he considers denial and techniques of
neutralisation, official inquiries and criminal prosecutions. External regulation and control is
examined before the final section on global security and conflict resolution.
McLaughlin, E. and Muncie, J. (Eds.) (2001) Controlling Crime. London:
Sage. (2nd edition).
The introductory chapter by the editors is followed by seven chapters focusing on various aspects
of criminal justice, punishment and crime control (see Appendix 1).
In the first substantive chapter Clive Emsley provides an historical overview of the origins and
development of the police, covering contrasting Whig and revisionist versions/explanations, the
creation of the Metropolitan Police, development of provincial policing and the establishment of a
professional police force for regulation and control in 19th Century Ireland. The chapter also
discusses management and control of the police, including accountability and centralisation, before
moving to cover police effectiveness, recruitment and culture, concluding with some comparisons
with Europe and the USA.
Emsley’s chapter lays the groundwork for Eugene McLaughlin’s chapter, which examines key issues
in police work, the boundaries of which include maintaining order and crime control. He critiques
police culture and identity, in terms of gender, sexuality, ‘race’ and ethnicity. The fourth section
focuses on police powers and human rights, with an examination of issues and concerns relating to
‘stop and search’. The final section explores governance in terms of policing and legal, democratic
and managerial dimensions of accountability.
Lorraine Gelsthorpe provides a critical introduction to the criminal courts and associated
processes in Chapter 3, beginning by encouraging the reader to think about what is meant by
‘justice’, before moving to discussion of key imperatives of the criminal justice process: e.g. due
process, bureaucracy and managerialism. She considers how the system delivers justice and
injustices, exploring issues such as sentencing disparities, and dimensions of neutrality and
impartiality, before examining issues relating to discrimination (i.e. ‘race’, gender and class).
John Muncie’s chapter provides a brief historical-theoretical outline, beginning with ‘gaols and
houses of correction’ before moving to discussion of penal reform and the ‘rise of the
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penitentiary’, incorporating humanitarian and revisionist explanations for reform and expansion.
The chapter explores changes in orientation and objectives throughout the 19th Century suggestions of moves from reform to repression and from repression to rehabilitation.
Muncie’s chapter lays the foundations for Richard Sparks’ examination of ‘Prisons, Punishment and
Penality’ (Chapter 5), critically exploring imprisonment as a ‘practice’, beginning with a brief
overview of contrasting theories of punishment, then considers bifurcation (prisons and
community penalties) and problems relating to the legitimacy of prisons. The next section looks at
the mid to late 20th Century and perceptions of ‘crisis’ in relation to prisons (e.g. rising prison
population, conditions, expenditure, prison ‘riots’/ disturbances). Sparks provides comparative
discussion of penal systems in the USA. The final section focuses on emerging trends relating to
managerialism and privatisation.
In Chapter 6 Gordon Hughes examines contradictions relating to community penalties in terms of
welfare, rehabilitation and restorative justice and begins by introducing ‘community’ as another
contested concept. His discussion of welfare and youth justice includes comparison of the welfare
and justice models, exploring the confusion and contradictions in relation to youth justice policy
(e.g. criticism that welfarism was ‘soft’ on crime contrasted with concerns that welfarism drew
more young people into the justice ‘net’). The 1980s saw a resurgence of justice over welfare and
included diversionary measures such as police cautions and community-based programmes.
Hughes suggests some of these moves were driven, at least in part, by cost-cutting and
managerialist imperatives. A populist punitive turn in the 1990s was linked to rising political, media
and public concerns over youth and crime, particularly in connection with the killing of James
Bulger in 1993. Subsequent sections examine the ‘logic’ and rationales of rehabilitation and of
restorative justice, before considering issues relating to community sanctions such as ‘netwidening’ and the ‘dispersal of discipline’, leading to discussion of Feeley and Simon’s ‘new
penology’ and David Garland’s conceptualisation of ‘responsibilisation’.
In the final chapter Sandra Walklate explores community-based crime prevention and the shift
from crime prevention to crime reduction. She begins with a brief contextualisation with
reference to government policy, including the 1988 Safer Cities Programme and the 1991 Morgan
Report. There is focused discussion of three distinct crime prevention strands: strategies focused
on offenders (a crackdown on enforcement), victims (e.g. advice on securing property; personal
safety and avoiding ‘risk’), and the environment (target-hardening, CCTV). Community-centred
strategies are examined, including Neighbourhood Watch and co-operative multi-agency activity.
Various aspects of community safety are examined, including responses to domestic violence.
Walklate concludes by raising questions of ‘whose policy?’ and ‘whose process?’.
Summary
In terms of content and structure, the two texts work well together, providing a solid
introductory framework for Criminology study at undergraduate level. The pitch is appropriate for
first year students and chapters are written in an appropriate academic style, which is not likely to
be off-putting for new students. The two texts are part of a three-book series Crime, Order and
Social Control published by Sage in association with the Open University, and the first editions were
probably among the first academic texts to develop a distinctly student-friendly approach with an
engaging format that included additional useful learning features like activity suggestions.
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Chapters include review questions and suggested activities relating to aspects of chapter content.
Graphics are used throughout, including black and white photographs, illustrations, colour charts
and graphs. Breaking up the text is a good way of maintaining the reader’s attention, while some of
the exercises and points for consideration lend themselves well to seminar/tutorial group
discussion and/or preparation for classes. Use of colour (blue in both texts) adds to the visual
appeal in general, but also draws attention to headings and to annotations in the margins that
highlight key concepts in the discussion.
The two texts The Problem of Crime and Controlling Crime can be used independently, but together
establish a sound theoretically-based understanding of key issues/debates, and although they have
not been updated recently, remain useful for inclusion in reading lists and as teaching materials,
particularly in relation to first year undergraduate study.
Additional related materials
The two texts are supported by a book of complementary abridged readings that was not included
in this review, Criminological Perspectives: Essential Readings (see Appendix 2). The readings are
compiled from a wide array of primary sources, some of which would otherwise have been
difficult for students to access. Highlighted items in reading lists and references of the two books
reviewed above direct the reader to materials provided in Criminological Perspectives. These
readings, which include extracts from the writing of Beccaria, Bentham, Lombroso and Ferrero,
comprise a valuable resource in their own right.
The Open University has made related materials available via its Open Learn initiative. In
particular:
 The meaning of crime;
 ‘Problem’ populations, ‘problem’ places;
 The problem with crime;
 The technology of crime control;
 Does prison work?
The materials are made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercialShareAlike 2.0 Licence, enabling you to adapt the materials for use in other study programmes.
Additionally, related audio visual materials are available via OU iTunes U. A list of the topics
discussed in the album ‘Crime, order and Social Control’ can be found in Appendix 3. Students will
need to download the iTunes software to access these materials.
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Appendix 1
Muncie, J. And McLaughlin, E. (Eds.) (2001) The Problem of Crime. London: Sage. (2nd
edition).
Chapters
Introduction (John Muncie and Eugene McLaughlin)
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
The Construction and Deconstruction of Crime (John Muncie)
The Pleasures of Crime: Interrogating the Detective Story (John Clarke)
Crime, Order and Historical Change (Jim Sharpe)
Dangerous Places: Crime and the City (Peggotty Graham and John Clarke)
Dangerous Places: The Family as a Site of Crime (Esther Saraga)
Good or Bad Business? Exploring Corporate and Organized Crime (Gordon Hughes with
Mary Langan)
Political Violence, Terrorism and the States of Fear (Eugene McLaughlin)
McLaughlin, E. And Muncie, J. (Eds.) (2001) Controlling Crime. London: Sage. (2nd
edition).
Chapters
Introduction (Eugene McLaughlin and John Muncie)
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
The Origins and Development of the Police (Clive Emsley)
Key Issues in Policework (Eugene McLaughlin)
Critical Decisions and Processes in the Criminal Courts (Loraine Gelsthorpe)
Prison Histories: Reform, Repression and Rehabilitation (John Muncie)
Prisons, Punishment and Penality (Richard Sparks)
The Competing Logics of Community Sanctions: Welfare, Rehabilitation and Restorative
Justice (Gordon Hughes)
Community and Crime Prevention (Sandra Walklate)
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Appendix 2
McLaughlin, E., Muncie, J. And Hughes, G. (Eds.) (2003) Criminological Perspectives:
Essential Readings. London: Sage. (2nd edition).
Contents
Introduction Theorizing Crime and Criminal Justice
Part One: Past Tense: Criminological Formations
On Crimes and Punishments (Cesare Beccaria)
Panopticon or, Inspection-House (Jeremy Bentham)
Of the Development of the Propensity to Crime (Adolphe Quetelet)
The Criminal Type in Women and Its Atavistic Origin (Cesare Lombroso and William Ferrero)
Causes of Criminal Behavior (Enrico Ferri)
Criminality and Economic Conditions (Willem Bonger)
The Normal and the Pathological (Emile Durkheim)
Law and Authority (Peter Kropotkin)
Part Two: The Problem of Crime I: Causation
Genetic Factors in the Etiology of Criminal Behavior (Sarnoff A Mednick, William F Gabrielli Jr.
and Barry Hutchings)
Personality Theory and the Problem of Criminality (H J Eysenck)
Explanations of Crime and Place (Anthony E Bottoms and Paul Wiles)
The Underclass (Charles Murray)
Relative Deprivation (John Lea and Jock Young)
The Generality of Deviance (Travis Hirschi and Michael R Gottfredson)
The Routine Activity Approach as a General Crime Theory (Marcus Felson)
Seductions and Repulsions of Crime (Jack Katz)
The Etiology of Female Crime (Dorie Klein)
Explaining Male Violence (Lynne Segal)
Part Three: The Problem of Crime II: Criminalization
Techniques of Neutralization (Gresham M Sykes and David Matza)
Outsiders (Howard Becker)
Towards a Political Economy of Crime (William J Chambliss)
The New Criminology (Ian Taylor, Paul Walton and Jock Young)
Crime, Power and Ideological Mystification (Steven Box)
Race and Criminalization: Black Americans and the Punishment Industry (Angela Y Davis)
The Theoretical and Political Priorities of Critical Criminology (Phil Scraton and Kathryn
Chadwick)
Critical Criminology and the Concept of Crime (Louk H C Hulsman)
The Need for a Radical Realism (Jock Young)
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Part Four: Crime Control I: Criminal Justice and Crime Prevention
On Deterrence (James Q Wilson)
Giving Criminals Their Just Deserts Andrew von Hirsch
The Value of Rehabilitation (Francis T Cullen and Karen E Gilbert)
'Situational' Crime Prevention: Theory and Practice (Ronald V G Clarke)
Social Crime Prevention Strategies in a Market Society (Elliot Currie)
Abolitionism and Crime Control (Willem De Haan)
Reintegrative Shaming (John Braithwaite)
Broken Windows: The Police and Neighborhood Safety (James Q Wilson and George L Kelling)
Part Five: Crime Control II: Discipline and Governmentality
The Carceral (Michel Foucault)
From the Panopticon to Disney World: The Development of Discipline (Clifford D Shearing and
Phillip C Stenning)
The New Penology (Malcolm M Feeley and Jonathan Simon)
Governmentality (Michel Foucault)
Risk, Power and Crime Prevention (Pat O'Malley)
'Governmentality' and the Problem of Crime: Foucault, Criminology, Sociology (David Garland)
Spatial Governmentality and the New Urban Social Order: Controlling Gender Violence through
Law (Sally Engel Merry)
Part Six: Future Tense: Criminological Transformations
Feminist Approaches to Criminology or Postmodern Woman Meets Atavistic Man (Carol Smart)
Different Ways of Conceptualizing Sex/Gender in Feminist Theory and Their Implications for
Criminology (Kathleen Daly)
The Global Criminal Economy (Manuel Castells)
Beyond Blade Runner: Urban Control: The Ecology of Fear (Mike Davis)
Human Rights and Crimes of the State: The Culture of Denial (Stanley Cohen)
The Exclusive Society: Social Exclusion, Crime and Difference in Late Modernity (Jock Young)
The Risk Society in an Age of Anxiety: Situating Fear of Crime (Wendy Holloway and Tony
Jefferson)
Cultural Criminology (Jeff Ferrell)
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Appendix 3
Crime, order and social control
 The killing of Stephen Lawrence
How the brutal murder of a teenager in 1993 uncovered institutional racism, and became the
driving force to improve race relations and criminal justice law in Britain.
 Taking racial abuse seriously
How a new easier-to-prove offence allows the courts to deal more effectively with perpetrators
of racial harassment.
 Improving police procedures
Plumstead police's efforts to provide higher quality of service to the victims of racial incidents.
 Training police in Plumstead
Patrol officers discuss policy with the Racial Incident Unit's solicitors.
 Visiting victims of racial abuse
How the Racial Incident Unit follows up after an attack in Plumstead
 Police and the community
How community relations schemes are now an important aspect of police officer training
programmes.
 Crime and community safety
How social policies such as the Rock Challenge programme empower youth to have fun without
drug-taking, thereby preventing crime.
 Anti-social behaviour orders (ASBOS)
An ASBO police co-ordinator explains what this powerful piece of legislation is and how it can be
used as a crime-reduction strategy.
 Gated communities
Why the rise in gated communities, and are they a valid answer to crime reduction?
 Urban crime and regeneration in Scotland
A look at urban crime and regeneration in Leith.
 Crime and the rural idyll
Defining what 'rural' means to different groups, and considering rural crime.
 Crime in urban and rural contexts
A look at crime in both the rural and urban context.
 Reshaping communities
Conclusions about the struggle for both urban and rural order in different parts of Scotland.
 Restorative justice: Involving the victims of crime
How restorative justice works in New Zealand, and how it might be introduced in the UK.
 Restorative justice: dealing with shoplifters
A look at a crime initiative in Milton Keynes that uses restorative justice when dealing with
shoplifters.
 Restorative justice in action
How offenders in restorative justice initiatives get a chance to express remorse and apologise to
victims.
 Restorative justice: does it work?
Evaluating the effectiveness of restorative justice.
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