Beyond Criminology: Taking Harm Seriously

Beyond Criminology is an innovative, groundbreaking critique of the narrow focus of conventional criminology. The authors argue that crime forms only a small and often insignificant amount of the harm experienced by people. They show that, while custom and tradition play an important role in the perpetuation of some types of harm, many forms of harm are rooted in the inequalities and social divisions systematically produced in -- and by -- contemporary states. Exploring a range of topics including violence, indifference, corporate and state harms, murder, children, asylum and immigration policies, sexuality and poverty, the contributions raise a number of theoretical and methodological issues associated with a social harm approach. Only once we have identified the origins, scale and consequences of social harms, they argue, can we begin to formulate possible responses -- and these are more likely to be located in public and social policy than in the criminal justice system. The book provides an original and challenging new perspective that goes beyond criminology -- one which will be of interest to students, teachers and policy makers.

Paddy Hillyard is Professor of Social Administration and Policy at the University of Ulster, and the author of Suspect Community (Pluto Press, 1993). Steve Tombs is Professor of Sociology at Liverpool John Moores University. Christina Pantazis is Research Fellow and Dave Gordon is Professor of Social Justice at the University of Bristol.