Synonyms
Overview
Historical criminology brings methods and concepts from history to the study of crime and criminal justice. This entry covers the differences between criminologists and historians, leading theoretical frameworks in historical criminology, methods of historical research, and the role of time in criminology theory and research.
Key Issues/Controversies
Criminologists and Historians
There are well-established areas of research that overlap history and criminology. Manuel Eisner (2003) and Hans van Hofer (2011) analyze levels of crime over time. The study of crime trends makes intuitive sense to criminologists, particularly when these trends are examined from the Second World War. Trends in crime and imprisonment during the late twentieth century are readily interpreted using criminological models, so readily that criminologists do not regard this as “history.” Criminologists are also interested in the history of criminology. This research examines the...
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Recommended Reading and References
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Knepper, P. (2014). Historical Criminology. In: Bruinsma, G., Weisburd, D. (eds) Encyclopedia of Criminology and Criminal Justice. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-5690-2_672
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-5690-2_672
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