Criminology and Epistemology: The Case for a Creative Criminology (From Policy and Theory in Criminal Justice, P 91-112, 1990, Don M Gottfredson and Ronald V Clarke, eds. -- See NCJ-130506)

• NCJ Number: 130512
• Author(s): W B Groves; G Newman
• Date Published: 1990
• Length: 22 pages
• Sale Source: Avebury Publishing Co
• Publication Type: Research (Theoretical)
• Language: English
• Country: United Kingdom

Annotation

This analysis of several criminological concepts developed by Leslie Wilkins argues that Wilkins's conclusions regarding crime and the role of criminologists are based on specific premises regarding the scope and reliability of knowledge.

Abstract

Wilkins viewed information and language as having crucial roles in shaping our understanding of crime. He believed crime to be unsuitable for scientific analysis and believed that criminologists cannot be value-free in their work. An epistemology, based on the Wilkins approach recognizes the importance of language in structuring cognition and perception, concludes that language is a screen that precludes direct access to the reality of crime and addresses the limits of the claim that criminology is factual and value-free. It also suggests that a creative approach to criminology is interdisciplinary, uses many methods, includes complementary theories, and deals with different levels of abstraction. Figures, notes, and 83 references