Though criminology originated in the eighteenth century when social reformers began to question the use of punishment for crimes, and then evolved into scientific methods being applied to the study of crime in the nineteenth century, the past 20 years have seen the most significant change in the study of criminals and criminal activity. Until recently, criminology has been an area of study connected to sociology; however, it is becoming an independent discipline with more of an emphasis on the biological and psychological origins of crime.
The Encyclopedia of Theoretical Criminology is an up-to-date reference for key issues in present day theoretical criminology while also covering classical and traditional criminology and criminologists from North America and the wider world. The two volumes contain 239 entries, covering a wide range of criminological schools of thought written by over 250 scholars. Entries include biographical information about seminal and modern scholars in the field of criminology and the concepts significant to their study, including punishment, forms of violence, property and morality offences and include their theoretical foundations. Entries also include applications to juvenile justice, crime control, public policy and the criminal justice system.
The two-volume set is indexed and conveniently begins with a lexicon of terms and topics organized by basic principles. Biology, for instance, includes determinism, intelligence, masculinity, neurology, phrenology and other theories as well as the names of scholars who have made contributions in that field of thought. The two volume set is a compact 1,000 pages and with the entries between 2,000 and 5,000 words long it makes for a good first reference for students of criminology or those in a related field whose study has elements of criminology. Though scholarly, the entries are easily read and include cross-references within the encyclopedia and extensive references and recommendations for further reading.
The Encyclopedia of Theoretical Criminology is a good addition to community college and university collections that support the study of criminology, sociology and psychology.
