Crime in American Society

The author states in his Preface that it his hope is that this book will allow leeway for instructor and student to experiment in applying theory to facts. An effort has been made to balance the discussion of traditional crimes, usually associated with lower class, with a discussion of crimes committed by individuals from the middle and upper classes. Nevertheless, the page ratio of lower-class to middle-class and upper-class crime is about two to one, a reflection of the paucity fo research and theoretical work on upper- and middle-status criminals. It is impossible to elaborate on these criminals in the same manner as for the traditional offenders. This book emphasizes what we know through research about a variety of criminal behaviors. There is a complete chapter on research methods alone. The great bulk of the work is devoted to descriptions of what research tells us about crime, its perpetrators, and its social contexts. The works discussed and cited have been selected particularly for their appeal to an undergraduate audience.