Abstract
Since its institutionalization as an autonomous discipline in the late 19th century, criminology’s main project has been identifying the causes of crime. The project began when Cesare Lombroso, the “father” of criminology, applied the methods of the natural sciences to explain why some individuals commit crime (e.g., Fijnaut, 2014). Building on L’Uomo Delinquente (Lombroso, 1876), the ensuing literature has greatly enhanced our understanding of the problem of crime, its causes, and its links to the broader societal context (e.g., Merton, 1938; Hirschi, 1969; Sampson, 2013; Wikstrom et. 2013). Nonetheless, it is fair to say that the “Lombrosian project” (Garland, 2002) remains unfulfilled. A quick skim of any criminological handbook aptly demonstrates a lack of consensus on the causes of crime (e.g., Newburn, 2007; Cullen, Agnew and Wilcox, 2013 and Fijnaut, 2014).
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