Book Review: Agnew, R. (2005). Why Do Criminals Offend? A General Theory of Crime and Delinquency. Los Angeles: Roxbury. pp. vi, 246

• Author: Michael Costelloe
• DOI: 10.1177/0734016808314552
• Published date: 01 March 2008
• Date: 01 March 2008

Book Reviews
101
fact that today very few criminal justice scholars employ historical methodologies.
Hopefully, books such as this one will remind academicians that history can be an invaluable
tool in conducting criminal justice research.
Robert M. Worley
University of Texas of the Permian Basin
Agnew, R. (2005). Why Do Criminals Offend? A General Theory
of Crime and Delinquency. Los Angeles: Roxbury. pp. vi, 246.
DOI: 10.1177/0734016808314552
Robert Agnew, professor of sociology at Emory University, has made significant contribu-
tions to the field of criminology for more than 25 years, particularly through his assessment,
revision, and development of theoretical explanations of crime and delinquency. Most notably,
Agnew responded to criticisms of Robert Merton’s strain theory with the development of a
revised theory called “general strain theory.” More recently, he has extended this work by
incorporating it with a number of other leading explanations of crime in an attempt to create
a general theory of crime and delinquency.
In this book, Agnew sets out to present a “general theory of crime.” That is, he aspires
to present a theory of crime and...