Professor Susan McVie co-edits new Handbook on Crime and Inequality
Tue 21 January 2025
Susan McVie, Professor of Quantitative Criminology at Edinburgh Law School has co-edited a new publication with Stephen Farrall, Professor of Criminology at the University of Nottingham, titled ‘Handbook on Crime and Inequality’. The book, published by Edward Elgar Publishing, brings together a diverse range of leading experts to examine the relationship between different aspects of crime and inequality.
The handbook expands on current knowledge and introduces new research, providing dynamic and multidimensional perspectives. It focusses on a range of criminology topics including victimisation, offending, attitudes towards punishment, policing processes, and fear of crime.
Featuring chapters from across the globe, the book contains several which were produced as part of the ESRC-funded Understanding Inequalities project led by Professor McVie. These showcase novel contributions from a number of University of Edinburgh colleagues and ex-colleagues, including: Lesley McAra, Professor of Penology at Edinburgh Law School; Dr Paul Norris, Senior Lecturer in Social Policy at School of Social and Political Science; and Dr Ben Matthews, previously a Research Fellow in Criminology at the Edinburgh Law School.
Making an important contribution to this under-researched field, it explores the conceptual, theoretical and methodological challenges of studying crime and inequality, and underscores the need for wider engagement and further research.
Professor Susan McVie said: “While crime inequalities are often acknowledged, there is a surprising lack of literature on the specific mechanisms by which different types of inequality shape different aspects of crime or justice. There is also a scarcity of global perspectives on the subject. Through this handbook, we hope to reignite interest in this relationship and encourage criminologists and others to challenge policy makers to address this entrenched social problem.”
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