NCJ Number
244951
Journal
British Journal of Criminology Volume: 53 Issue: 1 Dated: January 2013 Pages: 149-166
Date Published
January 2013
Length
18 pages
Annotation
This article examines recent literature on criminology's public role.
Abstract
A growing number of criminologists are reflecting upon the actual and potential public role of their field. This article argues that recent literature on criminology's public role has been unsatisfactory, failing to deal adequately with both the extant characteristics of the field and contemporary socio-political circumstances. Drawing inspiration from Weber's classic texts on the duties of the social scientist, and from Latour's notion of the 'diplomat' this article suggests that a democratic public criminology must go beyond the modern distinction between 'facts' and 'values'. (Published Abstract)