Book Review: Beyond Empiricism: Institutions and Intentions in the Study of Crime

• Published date: 01 September 2006
• DOI: 10.1177/0734016806292917
• Date: 01 September 2006
• Author: Christopher R. Williams
• Subject Matter: Articles

have no continuing involvement with the department after the report is prepared and published.

Monkkonen references the 1929 Wickersham Commission and the Crime Commission of

Los Angeles as examples of commissions that did not instill lasting change. The solution,

according to Monkkonen, lies within the organization as police executives need to demand

fairness and honesty throughout the whole department. Ultimately, commissions are not

dismissed as wholly irrelevant; however, corruption is best ameliorated through change

within the police organization.

Finally, the book collects works that delve into issues of cities and crime. Of great inter-

est in this section is a work that deals with the way that 19th-century institutions dealt with

the urban poor. In the 19th century, the welfare system instilled feelings of pride among the

citizenry. The buildings were well maintained and accessible to those who were in need.

The welfare system was also less complex, with few organizations dealing with many kinds

of people. Monkkonen contrasts this environment with the current welfare system that is

characterized by unnecessary complexity and is often the source of public scorn. An argu-

ment is thus formulated that a welfare system without pride is also a welfare system with-

out success. Again, by understanding issues related to crime and justice in the past, we can

gain a greater understanding of these issues in the present.

The only thing lacking from Crime Justice History is an adequate conclusion that

imparts to the reader the lasting themes or images Monkkonen desires to convey. After fur-

ther reflection, perhaps the absence of a succinct conclusion is more a testament to the

breadth of the material covered in the book than any sort of oversight by the author. Despite

this possible limitation, this book represents an excellent addition to the literature that seeks

to more fully understand issues of crime and justice today by analyzing the past. As our

understanding of the past becomes more informed, through books such as Crime Justice

History, decisions about criminal justice policy in the status quo will be more informed and

subsequently more successful.

William P. McCarty

University of Nebraska–Omaha

McCord, J. (Ed.). (2004). Beyond Empiricism: Institutions and Intentions in the Study of

Crime. New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction Publishers.

DOI: 10.1177/0734016806292917

Edited by the late Joan McCord—former professor of criminal justice at Temple

University and coauthor of The Psychopath and Origins of Crime (among other works)—

Beyond Empiricism pulls together a collection of individual essays that seek generally to

“expand perspectives on criminal behavior.” In McCord’s own words, each chapter “raises

questions about the adequacy of current theoretical claims.” More specifically, she suggests

that criminological theorizing has given “little attention” to “mechanisms of change or

choice.” These mechanisms represent the focus of several of the substantive chapters of the

text, while each of the chapters addresses an issue of relevance to contemporary discussions

of theory, research, and/or policy in criminology.

252 Criminal Justice Review