What Is Crime?: Controversies over the Nature of Crime and What to Do about It
Author(s): Stuart Henry (Author), Mark M. Lanier (Author), Mortimer J. Adler (Contributor), Kathyrn Ann Farr (Contributor), Marc Gertz (Contributor), Don C. Gibbons (Contributor), Leroy C. Gould (Contributor), Scott Greer (Contributor), John Hagan (Contributor), Gary Kleck (Contributor), Jerome Michael (Contributor), Dragan Milovanovic (Contributor), Charles Otto (Contributor), Katheryn K. Russell (Contributor), Paul Schnorr (Contributor), Herman Schwendinger (Contributor), Julia Schwendinger (Contributor), Dennis C. Sullivan (Contributor), Ray Surette (Contributor), Paul W. Tappan (Contributor), Larry L. Tifft (Contributor)
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Publication Date: 14 Feb. 2001
Language: English
Print length: 272 pages
ISBN-10: 0847698068
ISBN-13: 9780847698066
Book Description
For decades, scholars have disagreed about what kinds of behavior count as crime. Is it simply a violation of the criminal law? Is it behavior that causes serious harm? Is the seriousness affected by how many people are harmed and does it make a difference who those people are? Are crimes less criminal if the victims are black, lower class, or foreigners? When corporations victimize workers is that a crime? What about when governments violate basic human rights of their citizens, and who then polices governments? In What Is Crime? the first book-length treatment of the topic, contributors debate the content of crime from diverse perspectives: consensus/moral, cultural/relative, conflict/power, anarchist/critical, feminist, racial/ethnic, postmodernist, and integrational. Henry and Lanier synthesize these perspectives and explore what each means for crime control policy.
Editorial Reviews
Review
If I had my way, a course on What Is Crime? would be a prerequisite to introductory criminology. Leading criminological theorists of the last several generations debate the issue. It is the most accessible book on the topic―well edited and organized. ― Contemporary Sociology
Of all the materials available on the market today, Stuart Henry and Mark Lanier’s book is perhaps the best collection of articles on the meaning of crime. This work is essential for anyone serious about the study of crime. The collection provides not only a foundation for students to begin understanding crime but offers up in-depth considerations of its meaning. The work is a perfect complement to any course in criminology. — Victor E. Kappeler, Eastern Kentucky University
About the Author
Stuart Henry is professor and director of interdisciplinary studies at Wayne State University, where he also serves as associate dean of the College of Lifelong Learning. Mark M. Lanier is associate professor of criminal justice and legal studies at the University of Central Florida.
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