Days of Whine and Poses

Wright and DeLisi could have produced a guide to conservative criminology which would have been a useful addition to available teaching materials. Most of us cover conservative criminology extensively in our classes, from rational choice theories, to low self-control, to routine activities, broken windows, perceptual deterrence, criminal mind and human nature theories and much more. Unfortunately, this book is improperly titled. It is not a careful coverage of widely used conservative theories but a non-stop litany of complaints and poorly supported political positions. Wright and DeLisi claim to have two key goals: (1) ‘to expose and analyze the problems of liberal hegemony within the academy’ and (2) to advance ‘an appreciation for a politically conservative orientation: one that is nearly absent on campuses nationwide’ (p. 9). The book is a non-stop rant against the supposed liberal hegemony of criminology, but most of the discussion does not get more specific than this, simply repeating itself. This concern is not new, as there have been a number of similar commentaries published. The goal of this book was to gather together these oft-expressed complaints about how the academy is too liberal and to propose that they also apply to American criminology and criminal justice. Interestingly, there has been some recent backlash from conservatives against these complaints, arguing that they come from a privileged position, articulated by highly paid professors in great jobs filled with benefits (see, e.g., Shields and Dunn 2016). It is hardly the cry of the oppressed or an exposé.

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