Masculinities

Since the early 1900s, criminological scholars have examined the relationship between masculinities and crime, resulting in numerous individually authored books (Collier, 1998; Messerschmidt, 1993, 1997, 2000, 2004, 2010; Mullins, 2006; Polk, 1994; Tomsen, 2009; Winlow, 2001), edited volumes (Bowker, 1998; Newburn & Stanko, 1994; Tomsen, 2008), special academic journal issues (Carlen & Jefferson, 1996), and a variety of scholarly articles (e.g. Cohen & Harvey, 2006; Hearn & Whitehead, 2006; Peralta & Cruz, 2006; Whitehead, 2005). This chapter provides an overview of certain key features of this relatively recent criminological literature regarding masculinity and crime, as well as some of the more significant empirical studies in this new field. It describes the evident strengths of the emerging "masculinities" paradigm in criminology. But it also notes the pitfalls of any gender-centric analysis of criminality, which could overlook a skewed criminalization process that frequently targets, criminalizes, and punishes men and boys from disadvantaged and marginal social settings