All major contemporary criminological theories are covered in this book, including: 

• Biological (Pauline Yaralian and Adrian Raine)
• Strain (Robert Agnew, Steve Messner, and Richard Rosenfeld)
• Social and Self Control (Travis Hirschi and Michael Gottfredson; John Laub, Robert Sampson, and Leanna Allen)
• Social Reaction (Ross Matsueda and John Braithwaite)
• Social Learning and Differential Association (Ronald Akers and Mark Warr)
• Social Disorganization (Ralph Taylor)
• Radical and Feminist (Michael Lynch and Paul Stretesky; Meda Chensey-Lind and Karlene Faith)
• Rational Choice and Routine Activities (Ronald Clarke and Derek Cornish; Marcus Felson)
• Integrated and Control Balance (Thomas Bernard and Charles Tittle)

Explaining Criminals and Crime also offers section introductions that provide a historical background for each theory, key issues that the theory addresses, and a discussion of any controversies generated by the theory.

Each theoretical essay contains:

* A discussion of the key theoretical concepts.
* The specific hypotheses derived from the theory.
* Existing empirical research on these hypotheses.
* Criticisms of the theory and efforts to deal with those criticisms.
* Policy implications of the theory. 

Most criminological theories are published in journals or specialized texts and are written in language intended for other scholars.  As a result, undergraduate and even graduate students in criminology and criminal justice find these readings quite difficult, which limits their understanding of the material.  The essays and chapter introductions in Explaining Criminals and Crime are written with the undergraduate audience in mind. 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. The Structure and Relevance of Theory in Criminology
Raymond Paternoster and Ronet Bachman

2. Classical and Neuve Classical Schools of Criminology: Deterrence, Rational Choice, and Situational Theories of Crime
a. Rational Choice
Ronald V. Clarke and Derek B. Cornish
b. The Routine Activity Approach: A Very Versatile Theory of Crime
Marcus Felson

3. The Positive School of Criminology: Biological Theories of Crime
a. Biological Approaches to Crime: Psychophysiology and Brain Dysfunction
Pauline S. Yaralian and Adrian Raine

4. Control Theories of Crime
a. Self-Control Theory
Travis Hirschi and Michael R. Gottfredson
b. Explaining Crime Over the Life Course: Toward a Theory of Age-Graded Informal Social Control
John H. Laub, Robert J. Sampson, and Leana C. Allen

5. Social Disorganization and Crime
a. The Ecology of Crime, Fear, and Delinquency: Social Disorganization versus Social Efficacy
Ralph B. Taylor

6. Anomie/Strain Theories of Crime
a. An Institutional-Anomie Theory of Crime
Steven F. Messner and Richard Rosenfeld
b. An Overview of General Strain Theory
Robert Agnew

7. Differential Association and Social Learning Theories
a. The Social Origins of Crime: Edwin Sutherland and the Theory of Differential Association
Mark Warr
b. Social Learning Theory
Ronald L. Akers

8. Labeling or Social Reaction Theories of Crime
a. Labeling Theory: Historical Roots, Implications, and Recent Developments
Ross L. Matsueda
b. Reintegrative Shaming
John Braithwaite

9. Radical and Feminist Theories of Crime
a. Radical Criminology
Michael J. Lynch and Paul B. Stretesky
b. What About Feminism? Engendering Theory-Making in Criminology
Meda Chensey-Lind and Karlene Faith

10. Theoretical Development in Criminology: Falsification, Integration, and Competition
a. Control Balance Theory
Charles R. Tittle
b. Integrating Theories in Criminology
Thomas J. Bernard