This text offers a critical overview of the criminological enterprise since the late 1970s. The author is concerned to identify the continuities underpinning criminological theory and to situate these continuities within a contemporary criminological and political context. She offers the student an in-depth appreciation of criminological theorizing, paying particular attention to left realism, right realism and the influence of feminism. An exploration is also undertaken of the interface between the substansive concerns of criminological and social policy. Drawing on a critical understanding of current political concerns about crime, Walklate sets out a framework for the future development of criminological work informed by the notions of social justice, risk and trust.