Toward a more ‘progressive’ criminology? A rejoinder to Elliott Currie

Source: (2000) Western Criminology Review 2 (February).

Hil writes in response to Elliott Currie’s 1999 essay in the Western Criminology Review, “Reflections on crime and criminology at the millennium.â€? Currie criticized triumphalistic declarations about the decline in crime; he argued that crime levels were still unacceptably high. He also identified ways in which criminologists could play a more effective role in bringing about positive change in the socio-legal domain. Hil, commending much in Currie’s essay, nevertheless critically appraises certain of Currie’s arguments for a more “progressiveâ€? criminology. Hil organizes his critical appraisal of Currie and the current state of criminology around these themes: the continuation of intellectual endeavor; the pursuit of social justice; and the provision of short-term humanitarian help.