NCJ Number
81465
Date Published
1982
Length
573 pages
Annotation
Crime in modern society, the perspectives of contemporary criminology, types and patterns of crime, and the response of the criminal justice system to crime are discussed.
Abstract
The discussion of crime in modern society considers the ubiquity of crime, the elastic boundaries of crimes, and crime as natural social behavior. In considering the perspectives of modern criminology, the origins of criminology are traced, and the major issues of criminology are identified. The primary focus is on theories of the causes of crime. Specific topics considered are the nature and function of criminal law, the extent and distribution of crime, social structure and criminality, and biogenic, psychogenic, and sociogenic approaches to explaining criminality. Types of crime examined are homicides, assaults, and sex crimes; organizational and occupational crime; organized crime; and vice or victimless crimes. A chapter is devoted to patterns of female crime and how the criminal justice system responds to female offenders. Chapters dealing with the criminal justice system focus on the police role in society, the social organization of the police, procedures from arrest to trial, variations in correctional dispositions, correctional social organization, and treatment programs and results. The concluding chapter considers the future of crime and responding to crime. Overall, crime is presented as the product of criminogenic features built into modern societies. A summary and notes accompany each chapter, and author and subject indexes are provided.