Retrospect and Prospect: Fashions in Criminal Justice Theory and Practice (From Policy and Theory in Criminal Justice, P 181-199, 1990, Don M Gottfredson and Ronald V Clarke, eds. -- See NCJ-130506)

• NCJ Number: 130517
• Author(s): L T Wilkins
• Date Published: 1990
• Length: 19 pages
• Sale Source: Avebury Publishing Co
• Publication Type: Historical Overview
• Language: English
• Country: United Kingdom

Annotation

Criminal justice theory and research and their uses in policymaking are examined in terms of their past emphases, the influence of the author's personal history on his own research, and prospects for the future.

Abstract

All societies have considered some behavior to be criminal, although the behaviors considered criminal are almost as varied as behaviors not considered criminal. However, the scientific method has been used in the study of crime only relatively recently. The author's own work reflects some of the recent trends and fashions in content and methods. It has focused on aircraft safety, public health and welfare, the effectiveness of various criminal sanctions, deviance, victim compensation, and decision analysis. This research has taken place during three main periods in criminological research. The first period emphasized action based on theories of individual personality; the second, sociological or socioeconomic theories; and the third, decision and information networks with a focus on rights and justice. Further research and policymaking should focus on distinctions between micro and macro levels, criminalizing processes, the public demand for punishment, and the tradeoffs involved in decisions regarding resource allocation. 15 references