Despite illustrious origins dating to the 1920s, qualitative crime research has long been overshadowed by quantitative inquiry. After decades of limited use, there has been a notable resurgence in crime ethnography, naturalistic inquiry, and related forms of fieldwork addressing crime and related social control efforts. The Routledge Handbook of Qualitative Criminology signals this momentum as the first major reference work dedicated to crime ethnography and related fieldwork orientations. Synthesizing the foremost topics and issues in qualitative criminology into a single definitive work, the Handbook provides a "first-look" reference source for scholars and students alike.

The collection features twenty original chapters on leading qualitative crime research strategies, the complexities of collecting and analyzing qualitative data, and the ethical propriety of researching active criminals and incarcerated offenders. Contributions from both established luminaries and talented emerging scholars highlight the traditions and emerging trends in qualitative criminology through authoritative overviews and "lived experience" examples.

Comprehensive and current, The Routledge Handbook of Qualitative Criminology promises to be a sound reference source for academics, students and practitioners as ethnography and fieldwork realize continued growth throughout the 21st Century.

About the Author

Heith Copes is a Professor in the Department of Justice Sciences at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He earned his PhD in sociology from the University of Tennessee in 2001. Heith has published over 50 articles and chapters on deviance and crime and, in addition, he has published several books (e.g., Identity Thieves: Motives and Methods) and edited collections (e.g., Voices from the Criminal Justice). His research emphasis is on understanding the ways that deviants and offenders make sense of their actions.

J. Mitchell Miller is a Professor in the Department of Criminology & Criminal Justice at the University of North Florida and a Fellow of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences. He specializes in qualitative research methods, drug crime, and criminological theory and has conducted mixed methods program evaluation for various criminal justice system agencies including the NIJ, OJJDP, BJA, BJS, and the US State Department. He served as lead evaluator of the Moscow Police Command College and is a past president of the Southern Criminal Justice Association, former Editor of Journal of Crime & Justice and Journal of Criminal Justice Education, and an Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences Fellow.

Reviews

'This is an outstanding collection of essays covering a wide range of issues that are found at the very core of the criminological project. Crucial reading for both students and seasoned practitioners.' - Dick Hobbs, Professor of Sociology, University of Western Sydney, Australia

'Criminology rightly aspires to be a science, yet bizarrely we eschew the essential foundations of science itself by severely curtailing our range of methodologies. This impressive and badly needed volume features the work of the brave researchers who have swum against those strong tides to keep qualitative research alive and hence preserve criminology as a true science.' - Shadd Maruna, Dean and Professor, School of Criminal Justice, Rutgers University Newark, USA

'Copes and Miller provide excellent examples of qualitative research strategies which have been used by scholars in crime research. The collection will prove useful to both researchers and graduate students in criminological and justice research. It is not a typical qualitative methods text - this one provides vivid examples of problems and strategies and specific examples of actual research experiences in several criminal arenas.' - Craig J. Forsyth, Professor of Sociology, University of Louisiana, USA

Book Information
ISBN 9780367581848
Author Heith Copes
Format Paperback
Page Count 312
Imprint Routledge
Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd
Weight(grams) 557g