Values in Criminology and Community Justice

The way we think about crime and the way that society responds to it are imbued with values that can determine what is considered important and what gets attention. Sometimes values that are claimed may not be the values expressed in practice, as we see in the multiple and confusing discourses about victims and offenders, punishment and protection, rights and responsibilities.

This collection of writings considers values in crime theory, criminal justice and research practice, uncovering the many different 'sides' – to echo Howard Becker's famous phrase – that criminologists, policy makers and researchers take. It spans Marxist, postmodernist and feminist perspectives on criminology, analyses of the dynamics of race, gender and age, research methods and ethics, the working of the criminal justice system and engages with current debates about new challenges for criminology, such as the green movement and Islamophobia.

This is a timely and thought-provoking collection which will be of interest to academics and students in criminology and criminal justice, and on professional courses, such as probation and youth justice practice.

Malcolm Cowburn is Emeritus Professor of Applied Social Science at Sheffield Hallam University and Co-Chair of the British Society of Criminology Professional affairs and Ethics Committee.

Marian Duggan is a senior lecturer in Criminology at Sheffield Hallam University whose research and teaching interests focus on gender, sexuality, hate crime victimisation and sexual offending.

Anne Robinson is a senior lecturer at Sheffield Hallam University and leads the programme for probation officer training. She previously worked in youth justice and is a former YOT manager.

Paul Senior is Professor of Probation Studies and Director of a contract research and consultancy centre, the Hallam Centre for Community Justice, at Sheffield Hallam University.