Enduring Significance of Richard Quinney

Abstract

Richard Quinney has been a tremendously influential scholar in the development of critical criminology. His work has been highly engaged, often critically, but at the end of the day, productively impacting the field forward. Key critical criminologist that were his contemporaries embraced each of his works, even as it often seemed to break any linear development with his past. He has received many prestigious scholarly awards and rates high on citational indexes. But he must also be understood for the personal writings in which he engaged. Understanding Richard’s journey sheds light on the reader’s own story, our own struggles for the meaning of it all. This chapter highlights the influence of Richard’s work not only as a pioneer in criminology, but for the personal, baring-all writings about trying to make sense of it all.