David Downes' early work on delinquency in East London made an original contribution to the comparative study of anomie and subcultural theory, and social policy on education and employment. His research and writing went on to include the study of gambling, drugs policy and the state of criminological theory. His later work broke new ground in detailed, cross-national, comparative analysis of criminal justice and penal policy, in particular in relation to England and the Netherlands. A related endeavour was to contribute (with Rod Morgan) to the burgeoning study of the politics of crime...

In Understanding Deviance, Seventh Edition, leading experts David Downes, Paul Rock, and Eugene McLaughlin examine the major sociological theories behind crime and deviance, covering their development, recent research, and varying perspectives on their explanations of criminality. The authors discuss key debates in depth, challenging students to question assumptions and explore new avenues of scholarship. An extensive bibliography provides references to a wide range of both classic and lesser-known texts.