The more a discipline matures and develops the more interesting it becomes to document and reflect upon its history – including its key figures. The history of criminology includes a set of key thinkers who have defined the subject, renewed its theory and refined its methodology.
The volumes in this series are stand-alone introductions and critical examinations of the life and work of key thinkers in criminology. These volumes collectively contribute to writing and rewriting criminology’s history by adding a distinctive line of inquiry: the focus on the ideas of some of the most inspiring figures from its past.
By Philip Bean
May 30, 2022
This book offers an assessment of Barbara Wootton’s legacy as a pioneering public criminologist. Barbara Wootton (1897-1988) was a leading British social scientist, magistrate, academic and public servant. She was also a life peer (Baroness Wootton of Abinger) and the first woman to sit on the ...
By Chase Burton
November 05, 2021
This book is a critical summary and exegesis of the work of Nicole Rafter, who was a leading scholar of the history of biological theories of crime causation as well as a profound theorist of the role of history within criminology. It introduces Rafter’s key works and assesses her contributions to ...
By David Friedrichs, Isabel Schoultz, Aleksandra Jordanoska
July 31, 2020
Edwin H. Sutherland is widely identified as the single most important and influential criminologist of the twentieth century. He is especially well-known for his path-breaking criminology textbook (first published in 1924), his promotion of a sociological (and scientific) approach to the ...
By Mariana Valverde
February 04, 2019
This book explores the theoretical contribution of Michel Foucault to the fields of criminology, law, justice and penology. It surveys both the ways in which the work of Foucault has been applied in criminology, but also how his work can be used to understand and explain contemporary issues and ...
