This lively anthology brings together many of the best theoretical essays on crime causation published in the American Society of Criminology's journal Criminology. In The Criminology Theory Reader, Stuart Henry and Werner Einstadter have edited key articles into concise, student-friendly readings without compromising the essays' original integrity. The book captures the essence and diversity of thinking about crime by including representative articles from the major theoretical perspectives: classical and rational choice, biological and psychological, ecology, strain and subcultural, social learning and differential association, neutralization and social control, labeling and social constructionist, and Marxist and critical theory.

The Criminology Theory Reader also contains cutting-edge thinking on feminist theory, postmodernist, constitutive, and integrated approaches. The overview essay and helpful section introductions guide students through the core debates. The following respected theorists are among the contributing authors: Beirne, Clarke, Stark, Bursik, Felson, Akers, Laub, Agnew, Simpson, Chambliss, Melossi, Feeley, Friedrichs, Thornberry, Hirschi, Yeager, Bernard, and Rafter.

The Criminology Theory Reader is the perfect reference for those interested in the explanations of crime and criminality.