The authors (of the U. of Georgia and Western Illinois U.) review and evaluate sociological, criminological, and psychological literature on the link between family life and antisocial behavior. They offer separate sections on child and adolescent antisocial behavior and adult antisocial behavior, paying particular attention to how the family socia

Why is crime persistent over generations, within families and within certain individuals? Is crime the manifestation of an inherited latent trait or the result of a failure of socialization and norm-setting processes? Why do youths commit crimes? Delinquency and Crime contains essays by nine leading criminologists that seek to answer these and other questions by describing current theories of crime and the research evidence that supports them. The authors' views on crime causation go beyond traditional criminological theories of strain, cultural deviance, social control, differential association and social learning to present emerging and integrated models of the origins of crime, including antisocial peer socialization, social development, interactional theory, behavior genetics, and community determinants. Each essay explores the practical implication of the authors' theoretical work for crime prevention and control.

Theories of Delinquency is a comprehensive survey of the theoretical approaches towards understanding delinquent behavior. Donald Shoemaker aptly presents all major individualistic and sociological theories in a standard format with basic assumptions, important concepts, and critical evaluations. Theories covered include biological and psychological explanations, anomie and social disorganization, differential association, drift theory, labeling theory, critical theories, and explanations of female delinquency. Now in its sixth edition, Theories of Delinquency contains up-to-date discussions based on current research throughout, extensive revisions to control theories, especially the general theory of crime, and expanded coverage of integrated and cutting-edge theories. Clearly written, consistently organized, and now thoroughly updated, Theories of Delinquency remains essential reading for advanced undergraduate and graduate students of crime and delinquency.

Book on criminological research studies and theories in the areas of crime, delinquency and social process. The emphasis in this book, however, is not exclusively on the problems of explaining what statistical distributions of crime and delinquency mean and how individuals become criminals and delinquents. The reader should be aware that as one examines statistical distributions of delinquency and crime rates and offender characteristics one must pay close attention to variables that relate to the settings and circumstances under which the statistics were collected. Once social scientists simply analyzed the available statistical facts. The datum for study is the process by which the statistical information is assembled, not just the final assembly. For example, arrest statistics are often used as the basis of generalizations about the social class distribution of delinquency and crime, but there is systematic underreporting of crimes of respectable segments of the society. Thus, among the selections reprinted in this book are research studies, descriptive accounts, and essays devoted to the illegal activities of businessmen, labor union officials, physicians, politicians, policemen, and middle-class youngsters. The theoretical framework of this book is designed to make these violations just as understandable as the criminal violations of persons in the lower socioeconomic class.

Extensively revised, the second edition blends theory, research, and applications into a superb overview of the complex issues surrounding juvenile delinquency and societys attempts to address juvenile crime. After providing an excellent historical foundation, Shelden presents the theories essential to understanding crime and delinquency. He then explores the system and its effects on juveniles and society, including comprehensive coverage of female delinquency. The social, legal, and political influences on how the public perceives juveniles and the inequality in U.S. society that affects families, communities, and schools are highlighted throughout the book. The concluding chapter looks at solutions that have worked and identifies trends in treating juvenile delinquency. The authors almost four decades of teaching about and researching juveniles and the system make him eminently qualified to offer readers the tools necessary to think critically about delinquency and to evaluate the policies enacted to manage the juveniles who violate the laws. Delinquency and Juvenile Justice in American Society, 2/E provides affordable, up-to-date, easily accessible, and thorough analysis of a significant topic.

Delinquency in Society, Tenth Edition provides a comprehensive and systematic overview of juvenile delinquency, criminal behavior, and status-offending youths.