NCJ Number
121196
Journal
Justice Professional Volume: 4 Issue: 2 Dated: (Fall 1989) Pages: 223-256
Date Published
1989
Length
34 pages
Annotation
The concept of crime is constructed within a political context that emphasizes (a) the behavior the lower classes are most likely to engage in, and (b) individual responsibility for behavior.
Abstract
Traditionally, this focus has caused criminologists to be most fully concerned with the causes, the amount, and control of common street crime. While common street crimes certainly present a threat to individuals, the harm produced by street crime is greatly exceeded by the harm produced by white collar crime (both financially and physically). In this article, we explore the extent of crime in the United States by focusing on both street and suite crimes. In our opinion, no examination of the question of the crime problem in the United States is complete unless we examine the extent of harm caused by both the crimes of the powerful and the crimes of the powerless. Our review of the extent of crime in the United States uses traditional and non-traditional criminological data sources to pursue this question. (Author abstract)