Robin Gålnander

Denna grundbok presenterar olika teorier inom området kriminologi, både innehållsmässigt och i tillämpad form, där vi får möta olika per­­s­pektiv och tankesätt. Boken behandlar först vad en teori egentligen är, därefter presenteras några av dem: teorin om rationella val, kontroll­teori, resiliensteori kopplat till risk- och skyddsfaktorer, en över­­sikt över kritisk kriminologi och, på samma tema, Chambliss konfliktteori om strukturella motsättningar samt om kulturkriminologi i Durkheims anda. Ett kapitel resonerar även kring vad litterärt och bildmässigt berättande kan säga kriminologisk forskning. Sist men inte minst presenteras ett intersektionalitetsperspektiv i kriminologin, ett pers­pektiv som bland annat används i ett kapitel för att analysera Christies teori om ideala offer. Det finns naturligtvis fler teorier och fler sätt att använda teori. Med hjälp av den här boken kan du få syn på många olika infallsvinklar för att få idéer att sätta igång själv. Olika kapitel, teorier och idéer visar olika sätt att ta sig an att försöka förstå verkligheten. Använd dessa för att stimulera dina egna tankar och din egen förmåga att teoretisera. Boken vänder sig till dig som ska skriva uppsats eller andra arbeten och funderar över teorins roll i arbetet. Framför allt vänder den sig till kriminologistudenter, men även du som studerar till socionom eller polis kan finna inspiration i boken.

This book provides a nuanced, critical analysis of desistance from crime, particularly through the lens of women’s experiences. It develops desistance theory by interrogating the concept of normalcy, highlighting how normative societal expectations cause harms on desistance journeys. Through this lens, the book uncovers tensions between desistance as a journey towards societal (re)integration and the resistance desisters experience when encountering state institutions and social norms. Being no longer part of the old life, and not yet part of the new, desisters face both familiar and unfamiliar harms. A key conceptual contribution is the book’s critique of normalcy as both an aspirational and oppressive goal. The work illustrates how the pursuit of mainstream inclusion can expose desisters to both new and continuous harms. These include surveillance and stigma, social and literal death, gendered violence, and economic precarity. By engaging with feminist and temporal criminological theories, the book sheds light on how desisters’ experiences reveal the dark side of normalcy, calling into question whether its pursuit is wholly desirable. With its focus on the intersections of gender, stigma, and social control, this work advances academic debates on desistance, proposing a rethinking of how criminal justice systems and support frameworks engage with those transitioning out of criminalized lifestyles. It will appeal to students and scholars of criminology, desistance, gender studies, recovery from addiction, and to practitioners and policy-makers in these fields.

This book provides a nuanced, critical analysis of desistance from crime, particularly through the lens of women’s experiences. It develops desistance theory by interrogating the concept of normalcy, highlighting how normative societal expectations cause harms on desistance journeys. Through this lens, the book uncovers tensions between desistance as a journey towards societal (re)integration and the resistance desisters experience when encountering state institutions and social norms. Being no longer part of the old life, and not yet part of the new, desisters face both familiar and unfamiliar harms. A key conceptual contribution is the book’s critique of normalcy as both an aspirational and oppressive goal. The work illustrates how the pursuit of mainstream inclusion can expose desisters to both new and continuous harms. These include surveillance and stigma, social and literal death, gendered violence, and economic precarity. By engaging with feminist and temporal criminological theories, the book sheds light on how desisters’ experiences reveal the dark side of normalcy, calling into question whether its pursuit is wholly desirable. With its focus on the intersections of gender, stigma, and social control, this work advances academic debates on desistance, proposing a rethinking of how criminal justice systems and support frameworks engage with those transitioning out of criminalized lifestyles. It will appeal to students and scholars of criminology, desistance, gender studies, recovery from addiction, and to practitioners and policy-makers in these fields.