Historical theories of crime and delinquency

Abstract

After an exploration of two underlying themes (the tendency among historians to explore crime in terms of punishment and the tension between determinism and indeterminism) that permeate the historical literature, this paper identifies and expounds on four constellations of historical theories that explain crime and delinquency: history of social science explanations, positivism, constructionism, and post-structuralism. Case illustrations detail the significance of social control and critical theories, both of the constructionist constellation, in a historical context. The conclusion touches on the difficult, yet necessary, task of integrating social environments and human behaviors in historical explanations of crime and delinquency. © Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.