"Stuart Henry and Mark Lanier-the authors of an especially imaginative and readable criminology textbook-have now compiled a valuable and stimulating reader on criminological theory. They have succeeded in persuading many of the most influential contemporary theorists in the field to contribute essays that both explicate the principal themes of their theoretical contributions as well as provide their responses to critiques of their work. This unique compilation should engage and inspire students new to the field of criminology, and should prove to be an endlessly useful resource for established criminological scholars"

--David O. Friedrichs,, Professor, Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice, University of Scranton

Perseus Books Group Web Site, September, 2005

Initially designed to accompany Mark Lanier and Stuart Henry�s best-selling Essential Criminology textbook, this new reader is an up-to-date companion text perfect for all students of introductory criminology and criminological theory courses. The Essential Criminology Reader contains 30 original articles on current developments in criminological theory. Commissioned specifically for The Reader, these short essays were written by leading scholars in the field. Each chapter complements one of 13 different theoretical perspectives covered in Lanier and Henry�s Essential Criminology text and contains between two and three articles from leading theorists on each perspective. Each chapter of The Reader features:

• a brief summary of the main ideas of the theory
• the ways the author�s theory has been misinterpreted/distorted
• criticisms by others of the theory and how the author has responded
• a summary of the balance of the empirical findings
• the latest developments in their theoretical position
• policy implications/practice of their theory

1. Classical and Rational Choice Theories

1.1 Free Will and Determinism? Reading Beccaria�s Of Crimes and Punishments (1764) as a Text of Enlightenment, by Piers Beirne
1.2 Rational and Situational Choice Theory, by Derek B Cornish and Ronald V. Clarke

2. Biological and Biosocial Theories

2.1 Cesare Lombroso and the Origins of Criminology: Rethinking Criminological Tradition, by Nicole Rafter
2.2 Integrating Findings from Neurobiology into Criminological Thought: Issues, Solutions, and Implications, by Diana Fishbein

3. Psychological Theories

3.1 Forty Years of the Yochelson/Samenow Work: A Perspective, by Stanton E. Samenow
3.2 Contributions of Community Psychology to Criminal Justice: Prevention Research and Intervention, by Sarah Livsey and William S. Davidson II

4. Social Learning and Neutralization Theories

4.1 Social Learning Theory: Correcting Misconceptions, by Christine S. Sellers and Ronald L. Akers
4.2 Techniques of Neutralization, by W. William Minor

5. Social Control Theories

5.1 Social Control and Self-Control Theory, by Travis Hirschi and Michael Gottfredson
5.2 Social Control Theory and Direct Parental Controls, by Joseph H. Rankin and L. Edward Wells

6. Social Ecology and Subcultural Theories

6.1 Social Ecology and Collective Efficacy Theory, by Robert J. Sampson
6.2 Gangs as Social Actors, by John M. Hagedorn

7. Anomie and Strain Theories

7.1 General Strain Theory, by Robert Agnew
7.2 The Origins, Nature, and Prospects of Institutional-Anomie Theory, by Richard Rosenfeld and Steven F. Messner
7.3 Global Anomie Theory, by Nikos Passas

8. Conflict and Radical Theories

8.1 Criminology and Conflict Theory, by Austin T. Turk
8.2 The New Radical Criminology and the Same Old Criticisms, by Michael J. Lynch and Paul B. Stretesky

9. Feminist and Gender Theories

9.1 Feminist Thinking About Crime, by Kathleen Daly
9.2 Masculinities and Theoretical Criminology, by James W. Messerschmidt

10. Postmodernist and Critical Culture Theory

10.1 Postmodernist Theory and Criminology, by Bruce Arrigo
10.2 Edgework: Negotiating Boundaries, by Dragan Milovanovic
10.3 Cultural Criminology, by Jeff Ferrell

11. Anarchist, Peacemaking, and Restorative Justice Theories

11.1 Needs-Based Anarchist Criminology, by Larry Tifft and Dennis Sullivan
11.2 Peacemaking, by Hal Pepinsky
11.3 Reintegrational Shaming, by John Braithwaite, Valerie Braithwaite, and Eliza Ahmed

12. Left Realist Theory

12.1 Inequality, Community, and Crime, by Elliott Currie
12.2 Left Realist Theory, by Walter DeKeseredy and Martin D. Schwartz

13. Integrative Theories

13.1 The Integrated Systems Theory of Antisocial Behavior, by Matthew Robinson
13.2 Applying Integrated Theory: A Reciprocal Theory of Violence and Nonviolence, by Gregg Barak
13.3 Criminologist as Witness, by Richard Quinney