Criminology

Tim Newburn
Willan Publishing , Cullompton, UK, 2007 , 1019 pp. ,

ISBN: 978-1843922841 (paperback), 978-1843922858 (hardback)

In this significant work, which comprises of 36 chapters grouped into six parts, Newburn provides a benchmark introductory text for newcomers to criminology. The clarity of writing and logical construction allow the casual reader to benefit from self-contained sections while the 'signposting' and referencing contained within the text facilitates more purposive enquiries both within the confines of this book and as a significant springboard to search for primary sources or other supporting literature.

Part one introduces the reader to the problems of identity borne by criminology as an area of academic enterprise anchored in the ontological 'fashion-world' that is made up of notions of 'crime', of 'criminals' and of 'criminal justice systems'. Here Newburn uses a brief history of the criminal justice system and a debate about the somewhat insouciant nature of crime-related data to illustrate that our understandings of crime and criminality are social constructs that we use to negotiate and confirm our societal structures. The early location of this discussion allows Newburn to take the novice reader quickly into areas of more significant debate in the second part of this work, which contains a wide-ranging and accessible discussion of the ontological and epistemological underpinnings of the 'new science' of criminology and forms a bedrock for the rest of the text.

Part three takes the reader into an exploration of how many of the different aspects of crime and criminality can be categorised and the emotive and social impact of such selective partitioning. For those seeking to develop a balanced view of the criminal justice 'system', this section provides an overview of many relevant viewpoints for discussion from the Ford Pinto case to the current moves to 'rebalance' the criminal justice system in favour of...