Synopses & Reviews
Crime in Canadian Context: Debates and Controversies, 2/e, is a concise, accessible introduction to criminology. Building on the success of the first edition, author William O'Grady continues to cover the fundamentals of the field while responding to changes in the discipline with updated statistics and revised content throughout.
Well-balanced and even-handed, this book aims to avoid promoting one particular approach to crime over others. Students will study how crime is defined, presented, and perceived before moving on to comprehensive chapters outlining measurement and analysis of crime, non-sociological explanations of crime, criminological theory, social inequality and crime, organizational crime, and intersections with the law and the criminal justice system.
Providing a vivid look at the statistics, research, and policies that form the Canadian context, this text will be appreciated by students for its succinct style, brevity, and relevance at every turning point. New material includes expanded discussions on policy, youth justice, and correlates of crime (age, gender, race, social class), as well as criminal law, crime and global and media issues, and recommended films and documentaries.
About the Author
William O'Grady is Professor in the Criminal Justice and Public Policy Program at the University of Guelph, where he has been a faculty member for over ten years. He is a member of the Canadian Homeless Research Network and an advisory member of Raising the Roof's Advisory Board of Youth Works. His research interests include street-involved youth, crime, and social exclusion, and he has published extensively on crime in Canadian society.
Table of Contents
Preface
Chapter 1 Crime, Fear, and Risk
Objectives
Introduction
The Objectivist-Legalistic Approach
Crime and Social Reaction
Media Portrayals of Crime in Canada
Crime and Moral Panics
Conclusion
Key Terms
Critical Thinking Questions
Suggested Readings
Websites and Films
Chapter 2 Measuring Crime
Objectives
Introduction
Official Statistics
Self-Report Surveys
Victimization Surveys
Observational Accounts
Is Crime in Canada on the Rise?
Trends and Correlates of Canadian Homicide
Conclusion
Key Terms
Critical Thinking Questions
Suggested Readings
Websites and Films
Chapter 3 Non-Sociological Explanations of Crime
Objectives
Introduction
The Demonic Era
Magna Carta
The Classical School of Criminology
From Lombrosian Atavism to Modern Biocriminology
The Psychology of Crime
Conclusion
Key Terms
Critical Thinking Questions
Suggested Readings
Websites and Films
Chapter 4 Classical Sociological Explanations of Crime
Objectives
Introduction
Durkheim
The Chicago School
Crime and Social Disorganization
Strain/Anomie Theory
Control Theory
Differential Association Theory
Labelling Theory
Critical Criminology
Left Realism
Feminism and Criminology
Conclusion
Key Terms
Critical Thinking Questions
Suggested Reading
Websites and Films
Chapter 5 Recent Sociological Approaches to Crime
Objectives
Introduction
A General Theory of Crime
The Life Course Perspective
General Strain Theory
Rational Choice Theory
Routine Activity Theory
Reducing the Risk: Crime Prevention through Environmental Design
Risk and Actuarial Criminology
Conclusion
Key Terms
Critical Thinking Questions
Suggested Readings
Websites and Films
Chapter 6 Crime and Social Exclusion
Objectives
Introduction
De?ning Social Exclusion
Homeless Youth
Youth Gangs
Aboriginal People in Canada
Hate Crime
Violence against Women
Conclusion
Key Terms
Critical Thinking Questions
Suggested Readings
Websites and Films
Chapter 7 Crime in the Context of Organizations and Institutions
Objectives
Introduction
White-Collar and Corporate Crime
The Public as Victim
Workers as Victims
Causes of White-Collar Crime
Political Crime
Crime in Trusted Social Organizations
Conclusion
Key Terms
Critical Thinking Questions
Suggested Readings
Websites and Films
Chapter 8 Responding to Crime
Objectives
Introduction
Crime, Law, and Order
Policing
Courts and Sentencing
Capital Punishment
Prisons
Youth Justice in Canada
Alternatives to Incarceration
Restorative Justice
Harm Reduction
Conclusion
Key Terms
Critical Thinking Questions
Suggested Readings
Websites and Films
Chapter 9 Summary and Conclusions
Future Directions in Criminology
How Should Crime Be Responded to in Canada?