Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Progress and Obstacles in the Internationalization of Criminology

  • Published:
International Criminology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The contributors to this inaugural issue of International Criminology were asked to reflect on the present state of comparative criminology and to speculate on whether it will become more prominent in the future. Progress in developing a coherent research specialization in international criminology over the past half-century has been uneven, with some elements making more rapid progress than others. There have also been surprises, as well as disappointments. In this article, I briefly consider the modern history of efforts to develop a comparative study of criminology. I focus on cross-national comparative research which is largely quantitative. I look at the development of this research by considering its progress along six fronts: (1) developing larger, more representative samples; (2) developing more refined theoretical conceptual schemes; (3) applying more sophisticated research methods; (4) developing new international crime data sources; (5) building longitudinal models; and (6) engaging global organizations in support. I conclude with some general observations.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Aebi, M. F. (2010). Methodological issues in the comparison of police-recorded crime rates. In S. G. Shoham, P. Knepper, & M. Kett (Eds.), International handbook of criminology (pp. 211–227). London: CRC Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Albanese, J. (2017). Crime control measures, individual liberties, and crime rates: An assessment of 40 countries. International Criminal Justice Review, 27(1), 5–18.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ancel, M. (1952). Le procès pénal et l’examen scientifique des délinquants, Paris.

  • Asal, V., Flanigan, S., & Szekely, O. (2020). Doing good while killing: Why some insurgent groups provide community services. Terrorism and Political Violence, 13, 1–21.

    Google Scholar 

  • Atlantic Council. (2020). Why the George Floyd protests went global. (2020, June 10). https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/new-atlanticist/george-floyd-protests-world-racism/.

  • Baumer, E. P., & Wolff, K. T. (2014). Evaluating contemporary crime drop (s) in America, New York City, and many other places. Justice Quarterly, 31(1), 5–38.

    Google Scholar 

  • BBC. (2020). Australians defy virus in mass anti-racism rallies. (June 6). BBC News. Downloaded August 12, 2020. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-52947115.

  • Bendler, J., Brandt, T., & Neumann, D. (2016). An open door may tempt a saint—Data analytics for spatial criminology. Research Papers. 98. https://aisel.aisnet.org/ecis2016_rp/98.

  • Bennett, R. (1991). Development and crime: A cross-national, time-series analysis of competing models. Sociological Quarterly, 32(3), 343–63.

    Google Scholar 

  • Botelho, M., & Gonçalves, R. A. (2016). Why do people kill? A critical review of the literature on factors associated with homicide. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 26, 9–15.

    Google Scholar 

  • Box, G. E. P. (1976). Science and statistics. Journal of the American Statistical Association, 71(356), 791–799.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chamlin, M. B., & Cochran, J. K. (2006). Economic inequality, legitimacy, and cross-national homicide rates. Homicide Studies, 10(4), 231–252.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chon, D. S. (2012). The impact of population heterogeneity and income inequality on homicide rates: A cross-national assessment. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 56(5), 730–748.

    Google Scholar 

  • CNN. (2020). Edward Colston statue pulled down in Bristol, England during protest. Retrieved August 17, 2020, from https://edition.cnn.com/2020/06/07/europe/edward-colston-statue-bristol/index.html.

  • Crockett, M. J. (2017). Moral outrage in the digital age. Nature Human Behaviour, 1(11), 769–771. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-017-0213-3.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dooley, C. W. (2019). Silencing Xinjiang: The Chinese Government’s Campaign against the Uyghurs. Georgia Journal of International and Comparative Law, 48, 233.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eisner, M. (2008). Modernity strikes back? A historical perspective on the latest increase in interpersonal violence (1960–1990). International Journal of Conflict and Violence, 2(2), 288–316.

    Google Scholar 

  • Elias, N. (1939). The civilizing process sociogenetic and psychogenetic investigations. Hoboken: Blackwell.

    Google Scholar 

  • Enzmann, D., Marshall, I. H., Killias, M., Junger-Tas, J., Steketee, M., & Gruszczynska, B. (2010). Self-reported youth delinquency in Europe and beyond: First results of the Second International Self-Report Delinquency Study in the context of police and victimization data. European Journal of Criminology, 7(2), 159–183.

    Google Scholar 

  • Enzmann, D., Kivivuori, J., Marshall, I. H., Steketee, M., Hough, M., & Killias, M. (2018). Young people as victims of crime. A global perspective on young people as offenders and victims (pp. 29–64). Cham: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Farrell, G., Tseloni, A., & Pease, K. (2005). Repeat victimization in the ICVS and the NCVS. Crime Prevention and Community Safety, 7(3), 7–18.

    Google Scholar 

  • Forbes. 2020. Photos: Street Artists Memorialize George Floyd Worldwide, From Berlin to Syria. Retrieved August 17, 2020, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/carlieporterfield/2020/06/02/street-artists-memorialize-george-floyd-worldwide-from-berlin-to-syria/#67aef5894035.

  • Gartner, R., & McCarthy, B. (1991). The social distribution of femicide in urban Canada, 1921–1988. Law and Society Review, 25, 287–311.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hagan, J., Rymond-Richmond, W., & Parker, P. (2005). The criminology of genocide: The death and rape of Darfur. Criminology., 43(3), 525–62.

    Google Scholar 

  • Halpern, J. (2001). From detached concern to empathy: Humanizing medical practice. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Heirigs, M. H., & Moore, M. D. (2018). Gender inequality and homicide: A cross-national examination. International Journal of Comparative and Applied Criminal Justice., 42(4), 273–85.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hipp, J. R., Bates, C., Lichman, M., & Smyth, P. (2019). Using social media to measure temporal ambient population: Does it help explain local crime rates? Justice Quarterly., 36(4), 718–48.

    Google Scholar 

  • Huang, W. S., & Wellford, C. F. (1989). Assessing individual indicators of crime among international crime data series. Criminal Justice Policy Review, 3, 28–47.

    Google Scholar 

  • Intravia, J., Wolff, K. T., Paez, R., & Gibbs, B. R. (2017). Investigating the relationship between social media consumption and fear of crime: A partial analysis of mostly young adults. Computers in Human Behavior., 77, 158–68.

    Google Scholar 

  • Isaac, L. W., & Griffin, L. J. (1989). Ahistoricism in time-series analyses of historical process: Critique, redirection, and illustrations from US labor history. American Sociological Review, 54, 873–890.

    Google Scholar 

  • Junger-Tas, J., Terlouw, G.-J., & Klein, M. W. (1994). Delinquent behavior among young people in the western world: First results of the international self-report delinquency study. Amsterdam: Kugler Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kagan, R. (2019). The jungle grows back: America and our imperiled world. New York: Vintage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kalish, C. B. (1988). International crime rates. Washington, DC: US Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kanis, S., Messner, S. F., Eisner, M. P., & Heitmeyer, W. (2017). A Cautionary note about the use of estimated homicide data for cross-national research. Homicide Studies, 21(4), 312–324. https://doi.org/10.1177/1088767917715670.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Karstedt, S. (2002). Emotions and criminal justice. Theoretical Criminology, 6(3), 299–317.

    Google Scholar 

  • Karstedt, S. (2008). Democratization and violence: European and international perspectives. In D. Gadd, S. Karstedt, & S. Messner (Eds.), Violence in Europe 2008 (pp. 205–225). New York: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Karstedt, S. (2012). Comparing justice and crime across cultures. In G. Ritzer (Ed.), The SAGE handbook of criminological research methods (pp. 373–390). Chichester: WileySAGE publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Karstedt, S., & Nelken, David (Eds.). (2013). Crime and globalization. Surrey: Ashgate.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kissner, J. (2016). Are active shootings temporally contagious? An empirical assessment. Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology, 31(1), 48–58.

    Google Scholar 

  • Koeppel, M. D., Rhineberger-Dunn, G. M., & Mack, K. Y. (2015). Cross-national homicide: A review of the current literature. International Journal of Comparative and Applied Criminal Justice, 39(1), 47–85.

    Google Scholar 

  • LaFree, G. (1999). A summary and review of cross-national comparative studies of homicide (pp. 125–145). Homicide: A Sourcebook of Social Research.

    Google Scholar 

  • LaFree, G. (1999). Declining violent crime rates in the 1990s: Predicting crime booms and busts. Annual Review of Sociology, 25(1), 145–168.

    Google Scholar 

  • LaFree, G. (2005). Evidence for elite convergence in cross-national homicide victimization trends, 1956 to 2000. The Sociological Quarterly, 46(1), 191–211.

    Google Scholar 

  • LaFree, G., & Drass, K. A. (2002). Counting crime booms among nations: Evidence for homicide victimization rates, 1956 to 1998. Criminology, 40(4), 769–800.

    Google Scholar 

  • LaFree, G., Dugan, L., & Miller, E. (2015). Putting terrorism in context: Lessons from the Global Terrorism Database. Abington: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • LaFree, G., Curtis, K., & McDowall, D. (2015). How effective are our ‘better angels’? Assessing country-level declines in homicide since 1950. European Journal of Criminology, 12(4), 482–504.

    Google Scholar 

  • LaFree, G., Jensen, M., James, P., & Safer-Lichtenstein, A. (2018). Correlates of violent political extremism in the United States. Criminology, 56(2), 233–68.

    Google Scholar 

  • LaFree, G. (forthcoming). Terrorism open-source databases. In D. Muro & T. Wilson (eds.). Contemporary Terrorism Studies. New York: Oxford University Press.

  • Landau, S. F., & Pfeffermann, D. (1988). A time series analysis of violent crime and its relation to prolonged states of warfare: The Israeli case. Criminology, 26(3), 489–504.

    Google Scholar 

  • Langton, L., Planty, M., & Lynch, J. P. (2017). Second major redesign of the national crime victimization survey (ncvs). Criminology and Public Policy, 16, 1049.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lappi-Seppälä, T., & Lehti, M. (2014). Cross-comparative perspectives on global homicide trends. Crime and Justice, 43(1), 135–230.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lappi-Seppälä, T., & Tonry, M. (2011). Crime, criminal justice, and criminology in the Nordic countries. Crime and Justice, 40(1), 1–32.

    Google Scholar 

  • Liem, M., & Eisner, M. (2020). From homicide to imprisonment: Mapping and understanding the flow of homicide cases. Los Angeles, CA: SAGE Publications Sage CA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lin, M.-J. (2007). Does democracy increase crime? The evidence from international data. Journal of Comparative Economics, 35(3), 467–483.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lynch, J. P., & Addington, L. A. (2006). Understanding crime statistics: Revisiting the divergence of the NCVS and the UCR. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Marshall, I. H., & Block, C. R. (2004). Maximizing the availability of cross-national data on homicide. Homicide Studies, 8(3), 267–310.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mazzocchi, F. (2015). Could Big Data be the end of theory in science? A few remarks on the epistemology of data-driven science. EMBO Reports., 16(10), 1250–5.

    Google Scholar 

  • McDevitt, J., Balboni, J. M., Bennett, S., Weiss, J. C., Orchowsky, S., & Walbolt, L. (2003). Improving the quality and accuracy of bias crime statistics nationally. In Hate and bias crime: A reader. New York, NY: Routledge, pp 77–92.

  • Messner, S. F. (1992). Exploring the consequences of erratic data reporting for cross-national research on homicide. Journal of Quantitative Criminology, 8(2), 155–173.

    Google Scholar 

  • Messner, S. F., & Rosenfeld, R. (1997). Political restraint of the market and levels of criminal homicide: A cross-national application of institutional-anomie theory. Social Forces, 75(4), 1393–1416.

    Google Scholar 

  • Müller K, & Schwarz C. (2019). Fanning the flames of hate: Social media and hate crime. Available at SSRN 3082972. Nov 3.

  • Neapolitan, J. L. (1994). Cross-national variation in homicides: The case of Latin America. International Criminal Justice Review, 4(1), 4–22.

    Google Scholar 

  • Neapolitan, J. L., Neapolitan, J. K., & Neapolitan, J. (1997). Cross-national crime: A research review and sourcebook. Westport: Greenwood Publishing Group.

    Google Scholar 

  • Neuman, W. L., & Berger, R. J. (1988). Competing perspectives on cross-national crime: An evaluation of theory and evidence. The Sociological Quarterly, 29(2), 281–313.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nivette, A. E. (2011). Cross-national predictors of crime: A meta-analysis. Homicide Studies, 15(2), 103–131.

    Google Scholar 

  • O’Brien, R. M. (1985). Crime and victimization data (Vol. 4). Chichester: SAGE Publications, Incorporated.

    Google Scholar 

  • Omnicore. (2020). Facebook by the Numbers: Stats, Demographics & Fun Facts. https://www.omnicoreagency.com/facebook-statistics/. downloaded October 15, 2020.

  • Pears, E. (1872). Prisons and Reformatories at Home and Abroad: Being the Transactions of the International Penitentiary Congress Held in London, July 3-13, 1872, Including Official Documents, Discussions, and Papers Presented to the Congress. Longmans, Green, and Company.

  • Piazza, J., & LaFree, G. (2019). Islamist terrorism, diaspora links and casualty rates. Perspectives on Terrorism, 13(5), 2–21.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pratt, T. C., Cullen, F. T., Blevins, K. R., Daigle, L. E., & Madensen, T. D. (2006). The empirical status of deterrence theory: A meta-analysis. In F. T. Cullen, J. P. Wright, & K. R. Blevins (Eds.), Advances in criminological theory. Vol. 15. Taking stock: The status of criminological theory (pp. 367–395). Piscataway: Transaction Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pratt, T. C., & Godsey, T. W. (2003). Social support, inequality, and homicide: A cross-national test of an integrated theoretical model. Criminology, 41(3), 611–644.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pridemore, W. A. (2002). What we know about social structure and homicide: A review of the theoretical and empirical literature. Violence and Victims, 17(2), 127.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pridemore, W. A. (2008). A methodological addition to the cross-national empirical literature on social structure and homicide: A first test of the poverty-homicide thesis. Criminology, 46(1), 133–154.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pridemore, W. A., & Trent, C. L. (2010). Do the invariant findings of Land, McCall, and Cohen generalize to cross-national studies of social structure and homicide? Homicide Studies, 14(3), 296–335.

    Google Scholar 

  • Quinney, R. (1965). Suicide, homicide, and economic development. Social Forces, 43(3), 401–406.

    Google Scholar 

  • Reuters. (2020). For black people in France, George Floyd protests are personal. Retrieved August 17, 2020, from https://www.reuters.com/article/us-minneapolis-police-protests-france/for-black-people-in-france-george-floyd-protests-are-personal-idUSKBN23M1TR.

  • Rogers, M. L., & Pridemore, W. A. (2017). How does social protection influence cross-national homicide rates in OECD nations? The Sociological Quarterly., 58(4), 576–94.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ross, C. T. (2015). A multi-level Bayesian analysis of racial bias in police shootings at the county-level in the United States, 2011–2014. PloS One, 10(11), e0141854.

    Google Scholar 

  • Santos, M. R., Testa, A., Porter, L. C., & Lynch, J. P. (2019). The contribution of age structure to the international homicide decline. PLoS ONE. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0222996.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schmid, A. P., & Jongman, A. J. (1988). Political terrorism: A new guide to actors. Amsterdam: North Holland.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sellin, T., & Wolfgang, M. E. (1964). The measurement of delinquency. New York: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smit, P. R., de Jong, R. R., & Bijleveld, C. C. (2012). Homicide data in Europe: Definitions, sources, and statistics. Handbook of European homicide research (pp. 5–23). New York: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stamatel, J. P. (2016). Democratic cultural values as predictors of cross-national homicide variation in Europe. Homicide Studies, 20(3), 239–256.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stamatel, J. P. (2006). Incorporating Socio-Historical Context into Quantitative Cross-National Criminology. International Journal of Comparative and Applied Criminal Justice, 30(2), 177–207.

    Google Scholar 

  • Towers, S., Gomez-Lievano, A., Khan, M., Mubayi, A., & Castillo-Chavez, C. (2015). Contagion in mass killings and school shootings. PLoS ONE, 10(7), e0117259.

    Google Scholar 

  • UNODC. (2013). Global study on homicide 2013. United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.

  • UNODC. (2015). International classification of crime for statistical purposes. United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. https://doi.org/10.18356/c1241a80-en

  • UNODC. (2019). Global study on homicide 2019. United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.

  • US Department of State (2017). Country Reports on Terrorism 2016. Washington, DC.

  • Van Dijk, J. (2007). The world of crime: Breaking the silence on problems of security, justice and development across the world. Chichester: Sage Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Van Dijk, J. J., Van Kesteren, J., & Smit, P. (2007). Criminal victimisation in international perspective: Key findings from the 2004–2005 ICVS and EU ICS. Den Haag: Boom Juridische Uitgevers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Van Dijk, J., Mayhew, P., & Killias, M. (1990). Experiences of crime across the world: Key findings from the 1989 International Crime Survey. Brill Archive.

  • Vetere, E., & Newman, G. (1977). International crime statistics: An overview from a comparative perspective. Abstracts on Criminology and Penology, 17(3), 251–267.

    Google Scholar 

  • Washington Post. (2020a). Black Lives Matter protesters in Belgium want statues of colonialist King Léopold II to come down. Retrieved August 17, 2020, from https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/black-lives-matter-protests-king-leopold-statues/2020/06/09/042039f6-a9c5-11ea-9063-e69bd6520940_story.html.

  • Washington Post. (2020b). Protests over death of George Floyd, police killings spread to London, Berlin, Toronto. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/george-floyd-police-protests-london-berlin-toronto/2020/05/31/cf4485e8-a357-11ea-898e-b21b9a83f792_story.html. Downloaded August 13, 2020.

  • Wolak, J., Finkelhor, D., Walsh, W., & Treitman, L. (2018). Sextortion of minors: Characteristics and dynamics. Journal of Adolescent Health, 62(1), 72–9.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wolf, P. (1971). Crime and development: An international comparison of crime rates. Scandinavian Studies in Criminology, 3, 107–120.

    Google Scholar 

  • World Health Organization. (2014). Global status report on violence prevention 2014. World Health Organization.

  • Wright, Q., & Wright, L. L. (1983). A study of war. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhang, L., Messner, S. F., & Liu, J. (2008). A critical review of recent literature on crime and criminal justice in China: Research findings, challenges, and prospects (Introduction). Crime, Law and Social Change, 50(3), 125–30.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 20742, USA

    Gary LaFree

Authors
  1. Gary LaFree
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Gary LaFree.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

LaFree, G. Progress and Obstacles in the Internationalization of Criminology. Int Criminol 1, 58–69 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43576-021-00005-2

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s43576-021-00005-2

Keywords

Search

Navigation