Theoretical Methods in Criminology

Books on criminological theory have usually explained or evaluated the substance of theoretical models of crime and deviance. They discuss specific paradigms which account for individual offences and patterns of offending, but they seldom analyze how these theories were constructed or the ideas underlying them. Theoretical Methods in Criminology is the first book to discuss the intellectual groundings and key ideas of criminology in depth. Meier believes that criminological theory has become stagnant, and he therefore takes a 'step back' to explicate the fundamental assumptions on which theories of crime and deviance are formed. Rather than rehashing the merits and faults of a particular theory, he returns to its basic premises, with a focus on theoretical methods and on an understanding of the ways contemporary criminological theories developed. 'A much needed work in a field enmeshed in continued controversy, half-truths and outright balderdash.' -- Choice, March 1986 @ 'Its ten edited essays provide a clear and concise exposition of matters related to the development of theoretical terms, empirically referential formulas, the testing of propositional statements (Jack Gibbs), as well as a lucid discussion of multiple levels of explanation (James Short, Albert Cohen), a useful consideration of the limitation of typologies (Don Gibbons), and thoughtful reviews of the scientific status of positivist criminological research (John Hogan), strategies of analytical synthesis (Delbert Elliot), the questionable science of psychiatric analyses of crime (Michael Hakeem), an overview of what Charles Tittle describes as 'the integrative, hierarchical, conditioning structure of diverse casual processes'. These are its strenghs.' @ Contemp Sociology 16:4Meier, Robert F. is the author of 'Theoretical Methods in Criminology' with ISBN 9780835748315 and ISBN 0835748316.