CRIME - SOME POPULAR BELIEFS

• NCJ Number: 53965
• Journal: Crime and Delinquency Volume: 25 Issue: 1 Dated: (JANUARY 1979) Pages: 1-8
• Author(s): E DOLESCHAL
• Date Published: 1979
• Length: 8 pages
• Corporate Author: National Council on Crime and Delinquency
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Statistics
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

THE POPULAR BELIEFS THAT THE CRIME RATE IS INCREASING, THAT U.S. COURTS ARE LENIENT WITH CRIMINALS, THAT POOR BLACKS COMMIT A DISPROPORTIONATE NUMBER OF CRIMES, AND THAT CRIME UNDERMINES SOCIETY ARE EXAMINED.

Abstract

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