NCJ Number
191724
Journal
European Journal on Criminal Policy and Research Volume: 9 Issue: 3 Dated: Autumn 2001 Pages: 235-257
Date Published
2001
Length
23 pages
Annotation
This article compares American criminology with criminology as it exists in individual countries in Europe.
Abstract
For purposes of comparison, European criminology is approached as the subtotal of the efforts by those involved in the study of law, social order, and crime in Europe. Whereas the United States (U.S.) only has one history of the development of criminology, Europe knows multiple histories of the study of crime, law, and social order. Each nation has its own history, shaped by its unique cultural, social, and political conditions. The American criminological enterprise is the largest in the world. The number of people who focus on the study of crime, law, and social control, the number of professional publications, research projects, and amount of funding measure this. European countries differ widely in the degree in which the study of criminology has been institutionalized. Many European countries do have scholars who are involved in the criminological enterprise broadly defined, but without the American level of clearly defined and well-institutionalized field of study. The spread of the English language around the world has a great deal to do with the perception of American superiority in recent significant works on crime; however, America is largely ignorant of the activities in other European countries due to the language barrier. The history of criminology in Europe may be traced back to a diversity of fields, where in the U.S. the theoretical development of criminology drew its inspiration mainly from sociology. The other differences between the U.S. and Europe with regard to the criminological enterprise (such as diversity in theory and method, the critical and self-reflexive stance, and focal research questions) are discussed. The differences in “doing science,” “doing justice,” and “doing crime” are discussed. If the essence of American criminology is defined as being policy-oriented, methodologically driven, and lacking theoretical luster, diversity, and critical edge, then the fear of “Americanization” of European criminology is well placed. 14 footnotes, 70 references