Crime and Emotions

Abstract

There is considerable scholarly interest in emotions as both a precursor to criminal behavior and as a response to experienced or anticipated criminal victimization. The purpose of this chapter is to review the literature on emotions and crime with a focus on three substantive areas: (1) the role of emotions in the major crime theories; (2) the role of emotions in theories of desistance; and (3) fear of crime. In doing so, this review highlights areas of intersection between sociological theories of emotion and theories of crime and also suggests opportunities for greater communication and collaboration between criminologists and emotion scholars.