A Closer Look at Crime

Criminologists at Edge Hill University gathered to celebrate the launch of their latest book Expanding the Criminological Imagination.

Two of the editors, Dr. Karen Corteen and Dr. Alana Barton, who are lecturers in the Department of Law and Criminology, celebrated with contributors to the book and colleagues from Edge Hill and other institutions.

The book, which aims to highlight the problems facing contemporary criminology, is a collection of case studies which reflect upon the usefulness of the subject in order to suggest alternative and more imaginative ways of looking at, and dealing with crime, harm and social justice.

Dr. Alana Barton said: "Criminology is a complex subject and the book aims to explore some of the agreements and tensions within the discipline. It highlights how criminologists draw on a wide range of areas, for example the law, social geography, history, philosophy and human rights, in order to challenge narrow, common sense ideas around what constitutes crime and how best to respond to it".

Edge Hill's Law and Criminology Department has an international profile and has been consistently rated by final year students as one of the best departments of its type in the country.

Alana added "The book is important reading for students, practitioners and others seeking a real understanding of the research that critical criminologists undertake and the political context that underpins the definitions of and responses to crime and deviance."