Abstract
This article argues for a criticalcriminology that is more mindful of the growing number ofcritiques of its general epistemologicaldirection. Specifically, such criticismtakes issue with the continued emphasis incritical criminology on crime and penalty,often to the detriment of a moreencompassing focus on issues associatedwith ``social harm''. In an attempt tohighlight the current weaknesses ofcritical criminology attention is drawn toa small although revealing conference thattook place at the University of WesternSydney in February 2001. In contrast to thenarrow concerns demonstrated at thisconference the article calls for a moreexpansive approach to the study of crimeand penalty that falls under thezemiological umbrella of social harm andwhich takes account of social movements andother disciplines that have givenrecognition to the question of humanrights. Such a call derives from StanCohen's evocation of the ``voracious Gods''that must be sated if a progressive andrelevant critical criminology is to bedeveloped in an era of rapid socio-economicand political transformation.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Berseford, Q., “Brave New World or Same Doublespeak? Rights,” in C. Sheil (ed.), Globalisation (Sydney: University of New South Wales Press, 2001).
Bessant, J., R. Hil and R. Watts, Understanding Criminology (Cambridge: Polity Press, forthcoming).
Brake, M. and C. Hale, Public Order and Private Lives (London: Routledge, 1993).
Chan, J., “Crime Prevention and the Lure of Relevance,” Australian and new Zealand Journal of Criminology 1995, 1996 (27:1), 25'9.
Chomsky, N., September 11 (Melbourne: Text Publishing, 2001).
Cohen, N., Cruel Britannia (London: Verso, 1999).
Cohen, S., Visions of Social Control (Cambridge: Polity Press, 1985).
Cohen, S., Against Criminology (New Brunswick: Tranaction Press, 1988b).
Cohen, S., “Intellectual Scepticism and Political Commitment,” in P. Walton and J. Young (eds.), The New Criminology Revisited (London: Macmillan, 1998).
Cohen, S., “Postscript: If Nothing Works, What is our Work?,” Zealand Journal of Criminology 1996 (27:1), 104'107.
Cohen, S., States of Denial (Cambridge: Polity Press, 2000).
Coleman, C. and C. Norris, Introducing Criminology (Cullompton: Willen, 2001).
Crawford, A., The Local Governance of Crime (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1997).
Crime Prevention Consortium, Pathways to Prevention (Canberra: AGPS, 1999).
Feeley, M. and J. Simon, “The New Penology,” Criminology 1992 (30:4).
Findlay, M., The Globalisation of Crime (Melbourne: Cambridge University Press, 2000).
Garland, D., “Of Crime and Criminals: The Development of Criminology,” in M. Maguire, R. Morgan and R. Reiner (eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Criminology (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1997).
Garland, D., “Govern Mentality and the Problem of Crime,” in R. Smandych (ed.), Governable Places: Readings on Govern mentality and Crime Control (Aldershot: Ashagte, 1999).
Garland, D., The Culture of Control (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001).
Garland, D. and R. Sparks, “Criminology, Social Theory and the Challenge of Our Times, British Journal of Criminology 2000 (40), 195.
Garland, D. and R. Sparks, “Introduction” in D. Garland, D. and R. Sparks (eds.), Criminology and Social Theory (London: Clarendon Press, 2001).
Giddens, A., Beyond Left and Right: The Future of Radical Politics (Cambridge: Polity Press, 1994).
Giddens, A., Runaway World: How Globalisation is Reshaping Our Lives (New York: Routledge, 2000).
Haines, F. and R. White, Crime and Criminology: An Introduction (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000).
Hil, R., Some Possible Future Directions for Critical Criminology, Paper presented to the International Sociology of Law Conference, Budapest, Hungary, July, 2001).
Hillyard, C., C. Pantazis, D. Gordon and S. Tombs, Beyond Criminology: Taking Harm Seriously (London: Pluto Press, forthcoming).
Hogg, R., “Crime, Criminology and Government,” in P. Walton and J. Young (eds.), The New Criminology Revisited (London: McMillan, 1998).
Hogg, R. and D. Brown, Rethinking Law and Order (Armadale: Polity, 1998).
Hood, R., “Penal Policy and Criminological Challenges in the New Millennium,” Australian and New Zealand Journal of Criminology 2001 (: ), //////////.
Hudson, B., “Criminology, Difference and Justice: Issues for Critical Criminology,” Australian and New Zealand Journal of Criminology 2000 (33:2).
Ife, J., A Comment of “Reconstructing and Reconceptualising Social Work in the Emerging Miliue,” Australian Social Work 2000 (53:3).
Ife, J., Human Rights and Social Work (Oakleigh: Cambridge University Press, 2001).
Israel, M., “The Commercialisation of University'Based Criminological Research in Australia,” Australian and New Zealand Journal of Criminology 2000 (33:1), 1'20.
Johnson, L., The Rebirth of Private Policing (London: Routledge, 1992).
Jones, T., B. MacLean and J. Young, The Islington Crime Survey: Crime, Victimization, and Policing in Inner'City London (Aldershot, Gower, 1986).
Loeder, I., “Criminology and the Public Sphere: Arguments for Utopian Realism,” in P. Walton and J. Young (eds.), The New Criminology Revisited (Lodon: Sage, 1998).
Maguire, M., R. Morgan and R. Reiner (eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Criminology (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1997).
Marginson, S. and M. Considine, The Enterprise University: Power, Governance and Reinvention in Australia (Melbourne; Cambridge University Press, 2000).
Matthews, R. and J. Young (eds.), Issues in Realist Criminology (London: Sage, 1992).
Naffine, Feminist Criminology (Cambridge: Polity Press, 1996).
Nelekn, D. (ed.), The Futures of Criminology (London: Sage, 1996).
O'Malley, P., “Responsibility and Crime Prevention: A Response to Adam Sutton,” Australian and New Zealand Journal of Criminology 1996 (27:1), 25'29.
O'Malley, P., “Criminologies or Catastrophe? Understanding Criminal Justice on the Edge of the New Millennium,” Australian and New Zealand Journal of Criminology 2000 (33:2).
Pavlich, G., “Forget crime: Accusation, Governance and Criminology,” Australia and New Zealand Journal of Criminology 2000 (23:2).
Pratt, J., “Civilization and Punishment,” Australian and New Zealand Journal of Criminology 2000 (33:2).
Rock, P. and D. Downes (eds.), Deviant Interpretations (Oxford: Martin Robertson, 1979).
Rock, P. and S. Holdaway (eds.), Thinking about criminology (London: UCL Press, 1998).
Rose, D., In the Name of the Law (London: Vinatge, 1994).
Rowe, B., “Social Work and Globalisation,” Canadian Social Work 2000 (2:1).
Swaaningen, R., Critical Criminology: Visions from Europe London: Sage, 1997).
Sutton, A., “Crime Prevention: Promise or Threat,”Australian and New Zealand Journal of Criminology 1996 (27:1), 25'29.
Taylor, I., Crime in Context (Cambridge: Polity Press, 1999).
Taylor, I., P. Walton and J. Young, The New Criminology (London: Routledge, 1973).
Taylor, L., “Vocabularies, Rhetoric and Grammar: Problems in the Sociology of Motivation,” in P. Rock and D. Downes (eds.), Deviant Interpretations: Problems in Criminological Theory (London: Martin Robertson, 1979).
Walklate, S., Gender and Crime (Hemel Hampstead: Harvester Wheatsheaf, 1995).
Walklate, S., Understanding Criminology (Buckingham: Open University Press, 1998).
Walters, R., “Social Defence and International Reconstruction: Illustrating the Governance of Post'War Criminological Discourse,” Theoretical Criminology 2001) (5:2).
Watts, R., “Politics and Globalisation in an Era of Globalisation,” Just Policy September, 2000 (19/20).
Watts, R., States of Violence (work in progress).
Young, A., Imagining Crime: Textual Outlaws and Criminal Conversations (London: Sage, 1996).
Young, J., The Exclusive Society (London: Sage, 1999).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Hil, R., Robertson, R. What sort of future for critical criminology?. Crime, Law and Social Change 39, 91–115 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1022475615965
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1022475615965