Victimization varies across the population. Selected characteristics of some individuals and groups make them more vulnerable to crime than others. This is the first reader to focus on the most vulnerable among us. Based in science and free of statistical jargon, this collection goes beyond cursory explanations to examine victimization experiences among members of uniquely susceptible crime targets. Such groups include: homeless women; pregnant drug addicts; inmates with H.I.V.; international students; residents of developing nations; and non-human animals.

Coston identifies...

This sixth volume Advances in Criminological Theory is testimony to a resurgent interest in anomie-strain theory, which began in the mid-1980s and continues unabated into the 1990s. Contributors focus on the new body of empirical research and theorizing that has been added to the anomie tradition that extends from Durkheim to Merton. The first section is a major, 75-page statement by Robert K. Merton, examining the development of the anomie-and-opportunity-struc-ture paradigm and its significance to criminology.

The Legacy of Anomie Theory assesses the theory's...

New Directions in Criminological Theory focuses on new approaches to theory construction, with particular emphasis on reformulations and new applications of existing paradigms. It includes an assessment of labeling theory, demonstrating how the approach could become part of a more comprehensive explanation of crime. A case is made for studying crime in terms of the social context in which crimes are conceived, interpreted, and negotiated. The debate between crime-general and crime-specific approaches is further amplified. A rethinking of Hirschi's control theory is presented. The volume...

Criminology has developed strong methodological tools over the past decades, establishing itself as a competitive and sophisticated social science. Despite and perhaps because of its emphasis on research design, methodology, and quantitative analysis, criminology has had few significant advances in theory. This is the first publication exclusively dedicated to the dissemination of original work on criminological theory. It encourages theory construction and validation in existing criminological publications, as well as furthering the free exchange of ideas, propositions, and postulates....

Criminology has developed strong methodological tools over the past decades, establishing itself as a competitive and sophisticated social science. Despite and perhaps because of its emphasis on matters of design, methodology, and quantitative analysis, criminology has had few significant advances in theory. Advances in Criminological Theory is the first publication exclusively dedicated to the dissemination of original work on criminological theory. It was created to overcome the neglect of theory construction and validation in existing criminological publications, as well as to...