Book Review: Companions in Crime: The Social Aspects of Criminal Conduct

• DOI: 10.1177/0734016805275697
• Published date: 01 May 2005
• Date: 01 May 2005
• Author: Lessie Bass
• Subject Matter: Articles

Companions in Crime: The Social Aspects of Criminal Conduct, by Mark Warr. New York:

Cambridge University Press, 2002, 172 pp.

DOI: 10.1177/0734016805275697

This book is sure to be a pivotal textin the development of new worldviews and knowledge

for educators and the general public. Warr takes on the myths and challenges of understand-

ing peer influence, adolescence, juvenile behavior and criminal behavior in a brand new way.

He innovatively integrates research and statistics of juvenile and adolescent group behavior

in an exceptionally easy reading manner. The knowledge of human behavior,deviant behav-

ior, and criminology is integrated in a style of writing that keeps the reader immersed in the

book. Although written on a level that will serve college and university students and profes-

sors, the average person will find this book captivating. In other words, the author captures

the subject of crime in a simple and entertaining manner.

Warr does not pretend to understand or know the reasons delinquents commit crimes. He

does clearly present crime as one of the elements of society’s ills and recognizes the human

age of development when the greatest percentage of crime is committed. The author takes a

refreshing stance that allows the general public and academes to understand that the nation

has a lot of work to do with the age group with which adults spend the least amount of time.

Warr writes about the complexcondition of human development and psychological thought

with elegant simplicity.It is the type of writing that sends one back to read a paragraph or sen-

tence for a second time because it is written in such a realistic and “down to earth” manner

that it touches a life experience in the reader. Forexample, the phrase, “Beneath the apparent

complexity of the world, however, often lies an elegant simplicity,” acknowledges the think-

ing of the average human being. Most complex subjects such as crime may be discussed in

more simplistic ways, which allows the average person to understand, to participate and feel

empowered to act.

The mix of original thinking used by the author and the integration of pertinent, current

research is revealing and intriguing. Statistics are woveninto the text in a holistic and expres-

sive manner. Warr weaves cross-cultural data concerning peer influence into the book with

ease and discusses specific cultural groups in a thorough but simplistic manner. The author

includes substantial ethnic and cultural information from at least four cultural groups in

chapter 2 without overly saturating the reader.The cultural information represents the chang-

ing nature of the United States. As well as ethnic information, the author includes the neces-

sary discussion of gangs as groups and identifiable social units. The author connects the ideas

of life human development, criminal behavior, gangs as groups, and the social nature of

crime in a way that creates an audible “Ah-hah” and helps one to wonder why one had not

connected the concepts in that manner.

The author does an extraordinary job of differentiating peer influence in adolescence as

well as peer influence in young adults. He normalizes the presence of peer influence and

grouping behaviors of human beings throughout the life span. The treatment of peer influ-

ence as a natural presence in human lifespan development is an original way of thinking, talk-

ing, and writing about collective and group behavior. Collective human behavior is influ-

enced by many of the variables discussed by the author, such as loyalty, ridicule, and

rejection. In my opinion, the author explicitly connected the concept of the moral code of the

group and the standard of conduct of that group. He incorporated examples of how the fear of

108 Criminal Justice Review