Vandalism and Anti-social Behaviour

There has been a lack of theorisation and conceptualisation of vandalism and anti-social behaviour in criminology in the decades following Cohen's seminal typology of vandalism in the 1970s. This important book forwards a new typology of vandalism, one that addresses the various challenges of the late modern world, rather than the older industrial world Cohen addressed.

Matt Long and Roger Hopkins Burke analyse the various types of vandalism and anti-social behaviour conducted by individuals. However, they highlight that individuals are not always the locus of blame - the state also has the capacity to act in a profoundly anti-social way. Crucially, Long and Hopkins Burke argue that in order to fully understand vandalism and anti-social behaviour, a culturally criminological perspective should be fostered. This is a perspective which accounts for both the emotional and experiential aspects of crime as well as its broader social and political contexts.

Matt Long is a Senior Lecturer in Criminology, Nottingham Trent University, UK.

Roger Hopkins Burke is Principal Lecturer in Criminology, Nottingham Trent University, UK.