Part of the "Sociology in Action" series, the 2nd edition of Moore's essential A-level text provides interesting coverage of a range of theories (Marxist, New Right, Functionalist, Interactionist and so forth) and issues (gender, class, ethnicity, the measurement of crime and the like) in the sociology of deviance. As with all titles in this series there's good use of sub-headings to signpost significant theories and concepts, coupled with self-test questions based around the text, project ideas, essay questions and useful lists of further reading. If you're looking for a readable text to supplement standard textbook coverage of crime and deviance this is probably the best book of its kind currently available.

A new book that covers a number of aspects of crime (ethnicity, gender, age and so forth), combined with a discussion of issues such as violent crime, sexual offences, drug use and the like, neatly tied together with an introductory overview of various theoretical interpretations of crime and criminality. The book, which contains a wealth of information about crime and its relationship to society (including a review of methods of researching crime), could serve as an introductory text to this area of the syllabus. It includes "review questions" at the end of each chapter (although these are fairly ill-defined and, consequently, not a great deal of use) as well as short "further reading" lists. Overall, a neat little book, but probably not one that will displace Moore’s "Investigating Crime and Deviance" as the standard text in this area.

Part of the "Issues in Sociology" series, this follows the standard format of topic overviews (defining and measuring deviance, labelling, the role of the police, gender and deviance, etc.) followed by short selected original readings to illustrate the topic. This is a good way to introduce students to original material in an easily-digestible form and such material can be used as the basis for classroom discussion and explanation. Each reading is followed by specific questions based on the text and each section closes with a selection of past exam questions and useful further reading sources.

Subtitled "A History of Respectable Fears", the focus here is on youth subcultures, but the scope is much more wide-ranging than this might suggest. The text is used to discuss questions of culture and identity, class, media influence and representations, family, gender and the like, as well as concepts of power, ideology, moral panics and so forth. This is a very readable, well-written, book that, in my opinion, is a classic of its type.

Crime, Deviance and Social Control
E.Wincup and J.Griffiths (1999)

Part of the very impressive "Access to Sociology" series, this particular volume combines good coverage of all the major syllabus themes in this area with a range of study activities designed to encourage students to apply knowledge gained from a reading of the text. Each section is completed by a Study Guide covering group work exercises, coursework suggestions (with useful hints about how to proceed), revision hints and exam hints. All things considered, probably one of the most useful books in this area for both teachers and students.

A text that focuses on public perceptions, representations and misrepresentations of crime, using the everyday medium of crime drama (although, given it's date, it doesn't include many of the modern "realist" drama-documentaries). There's discussion of the implications of such things as the fear of crime, victimisation, moral panics and the like, with clear links drawn to media portrayals of policing, criminals and the like. In addition, there's coverage of major debates within traditional criminology / the sociology of crime (the "realist" / "idealist" polemic. for example). Overall, an entertaining ride through modern criminology, although probably not a text that's particularly accessible for A-level students.

This is one of the modern sociological classics, not only because of its seminal content (labelling theory, deviant career, moral entrepreneurs et al), but also because it's a well-written and genuinely interesting book. If you've read all the "textbook interpretations" of Becker's ideas, why not give the original a try - you won't be disappointed...

At something over  1200  pages long, this can rightly claim heavyweight status in more ways than one. It's a massive, comprehensive volume covering just about every aspect of crime and social control. It's probably not the sort of book most students will read (or even be able to lift), but it's probably invaluable for teachers...