Constitutive Criminology at Work

Book excerpt: Constitutive Criminology at Work reveals the value of applying postmodernist-informed constitutive criminology to issues of crime and justice. A holistic, integrated criminological theory, constitutive criminology takes serious account of the interrelated contributions of human agency and social forces and argues that crime is an integral part of the total material and cultural production of society. Consequently, analysis and control of crime cannot be separated from the wider structural and cultural contexts in which it is produced. This book argues that constitutive criminology can ultimately help society out of its obsession with the crime and punishment cycle. Based on applications and empirical research within the theoretical framework first presented in the editors' earlier volume, Constitutive Criminology: Beyond Postmodernism, this new book brings together scholars and practitioners who have applied constitutive theory to specific areas of crime and justice practice. It extends development of the constitutive project by drawing together studies that found constitutive theory helpful in understanding distinct problems in the applied world of crime and justice. [Contributors include Bruce Arrigo, Gregg Barak, Mary Bosworth, John Brigham, Dion Dennis, Victor E. Kappeler, Peter Kraska, Lisa Sanchez, Robert Schehr, Jim Thomas, James Williams, and T. R. Young.]