Sociology & Criminology for a Changing World
David Matza (1930–2018) was an American sociologist and criminologist best known for his contributions to the sociology of deviance and juvenile delinquency. As a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, Matza developed influential theoretical concepts, including Drift Theory, which challenged deterministic explanations of criminal behavior. His work bridged structural and interactionist perspectives, emphasizing the
Lloyd E. Ohlin (1918–2008) was an American criminologist and sociologist renowned for his work on juvenile delinquency, social structure, and crime prevention. He served as a professor at Harvard Law School and was influential in shaping U.S. juvenile justice policy. Ohlin collaborated with Richard A. Cloward to develop Differential Opportunity Theory, integrating sociological research with
Richard A. Cloward (1926–2001) was an American sociologist and criminologist best known for his work on social structure, deviance, and social policy. A long-time professor at Columbia University, Cloward collaborated with Lloyd Ohlin to develop Differential Opportunity Theory and was active in anti-poverty movements, co-founding the National Welfare Rights Organization. Cloward’s contributions to criminology center
John Braithwaite (born 1951) is an Australian criminologist and regulatory scholar, serving as Distinguished Professor at the Australian National University. He is internationally recognized for his pioneering work on restorative justice, corporate crime, and regulatory theory, and has significantly influenced criminal justice policies worldwide. Braithwaite’s work integrates criminology, sociology, and regulatory studies, focusing on how
Elijah Anderson (born 1943) is an American sociologist and ethnographer, currently serving as the Sterling Professor of Sociology at Yale University. Known for his detailed urban ethnographies, Anderson has extensively studied the cultural norms, social interactions, and survival strategies of residents in inner-city neighborhoods, focusing on race, class, and inequality in urban America. Anderson’s work
Ronald L. Akers (1939–2020) was an American criminologist best known for developing the Social Learning Theory of crime, which expanded upon Edwin H. Sutherland’s Differential Association Theory. Drawing from behavioral psychology and symbolic interactionism, Akers integrated the principles of operant conditioning into criminology, explaining how deviant behavior is learned and reinforced. His extensive empirical research