Re-Examining The Crime Drop

Description

The crime drop is one of the most important puzzles in contemporary criminology: since the early-1990s many countries appear to exhibit a pronounced decline in crime rates. While there have been many studies on the topic, this book argues that the current crime drop literature relies too heavily on a single methodological approach, and in turn, provides a new method for examining the falling rates of crime, based on ideas from political science and comparative historical social science. Farrall’s original new research forwards an understanding of trends in crime and responses to them by questioning the received theoretical assumptions. The book therefore encourages a ‘deepening’ in the nature of the sorts of studies which have been undertaken so far. Firmly grounded in Political Science, this innovative study is a must read for scholars of Critical Criminology, Criminological Theory, and Politics. Front Matter ....Pages i-xi Outlining the Crime Drop (Stephen Farrall)....Pages 1-8 Critiquing the Crime Drop (Stephen Farrall)....Pages 9-25 Explaining the Crime Drop I: Developing a Case Study of Political Change in England and Wales (Stephen Farrall)....Pages 27-49 Explaining the Crime Drop II: Responding to Crime in England and Wales (Stephen Farrall)....Pages 51-79 Congruence Testing (Stephen Farrall)....Pages 81-102 Conclusion (Stephen Farrall)....Pages 103-107 Back Matter ....Pages 109-116