Do you spend hours reading true crime stories? Have a fascination with serial killers and how their minds work? If the answer is yes then you’re not alone. After all, there’s a reason Hollywood producers spend millions of dollars remaking Ted Bundy films.
Crime, simply put, is exciting. And trying to understand its complexities gives you a thrill. But prevention and prosecution are a whole other ball game. When it comes to criminology and the study of crime from a social lens there’s a lot you can learn about the field, especially if you are interested in pursuing criminology as a major.
That’s why we’ve compiled this list of the best criminology books for beginners. The following texts are regarded as essential criminology texts and include the best criminal justice books, the best criminal psychology books.
Introduction to Criminology: Theories, Methods, and Criminal Behavior
Introduction to criminology by Frank E. Hagan and Leah E. Daigle is a comprehensive resource when it comes to criminology textbooks. Overall, it sets the basis of theoretically understanding criminal behavior. Additionally, it covers all the basics you need to be familiar with before you can dip into the deep waters of criminology. You’ll also get a taste of the different ways in which such behavior manifests in organized and political crime.
But good criminology textbooks need to do more than just introduce you to the basics. In this book you’ll get to learn more about specific cases as well. You can put your criminology theory skills to the test with questions about the Aileen Wuornos case or relate traditional concepts with modern day references.
The best part about the 10th addition is how engaging it makes the subject matter. Many criminology textbooks are dry and hard to follow. But this edition uses examples and case studies to make the concepts easier to visualize. For example, it mentions the #metoo movement to demonstrate public perception of crime. Not many other texts go the extra mile making this one of the best criminology books for beginners.
Leading Theories Of Delinquent Behavior And Criminology
This book by Rajub Bhowmik is a criminological theory a text reader made easy to understand. Leading Theories Of Delinquent Behavior And Criminology takes the non-traditional route of explaining complex scenarios of crime through a modern perspective.
It boils down long, wordy concepts to condensed versions making the content easier to digest. The format of the book lends itself to nurturing your interest in criminology instead of scaring you away with unnecessarily complicated stuff. For someone beginning their journey into the world of criminology, this one comes high on the list.
Juvenile Justice
Juvenile Justice by Richard A. Lawrence and Craig T. Hemmens takes, as the name suggests, a more directed dive into crimes committed by non-adults. The book is widely regarded as an essential criminology textbook.
However, there were two main features that stood out to us and convinced us to place it on our list. Firstly, the content of this textbook is unmatched in quality. You can tell by reading it that the author’s knew the topic of juvenile criminology inside and out. The book is written by experts and takes you down a tour of the juvie justice process.
For people with a niche interest in the subject this book is great because it directs special attention towards prosecution and how it differentiates from normal cases. The overall focus is on the recovery of the juvenile criminals and the role of the court system in facilitating that process.
Second, the structure of this book is easy for beginners to follow. Each section begins with a mini-section that provides a thesis of the entire section. This way you can get a broader understanding of the section before diving right in. Additionally, the textbook uses images, graphs, and boxes to make it even easier to understand.
Statistics in Criminology and Criminal Justice
A large part of criminology relies on observing patterns across multiple cases and analyzing these patterns to draw correlations. Such detailed study lets you test hypotheses and better understand who commits crimes and why. If you want to comprehend and interpret such a variety of cases you need to know how to use statistics.
Statistics in Criminology and Criminal Justice by Jeffery T. Walker and Sean Maddan is a great resource for understanding the subject within the confines of its relevance to criminology. This textbook will familiarize you with data collection and how those skills vary case by case. It extensively explains what this data means in different contexts and how it is used to find a correlation across crimes.
You’ll learn how to collect, record, and analyze data using the right tools for the field. The book includes a summary of all relevant equations, learning objectives at the start of chapters, a glossary for quick referencing, and updated references.
These four books are a great starting point for you to cover the basics of criminology before getting into more nuanced, often difficult concepts.
Where can I get the text books?