ABSTRACT
Introduction This chapter introduces the critical perspective of criminology. The perspective is primarily concerned with inequality as it relates to crime and justice. Rather than focusing on individual traits or immediate social conditions, critical theorists “zoom out” to take a “macrosocial approach”: they examine the relationship between crime and society’s overall structure, specically in regard to the distribution of wealth, power, and other resources. “Critical criminology” encompasses the following subareas:
• “Conict criminology” focuses on power differences among groups, generally dened as those formed around different cultures, subcultures, or interests.
