NCJ Number
141082
Journal
American Journal of Sociology Volume: 96 Issue: 6 Dated: (May 1990) Pages: 1402-40
Date Published
1991
Length
39 pages
Annotation
This paper examines Edwin Sutherland's debate with Sheldon and Eleanor Glueck about the causes of crime and the proper focus of social science, using previously unavailable correspondence and unpublished papers as well as published works from the period (1925-45) when Sutherland was developing the theory of differential association and the Gluecks were initiating research on criminal careers.
Abstract
During the 1930's, Sutherland established the sociological model of crime as the dominant paradigm in criminology. As a result, he became the most influential criminologist of the 20th century. However, his criticism of the Gluecks' interdisciplinary research program was driven by a substantive version of sociological positivism that tried to establish criminology as the proper domain of sociology, a commitment to the method of analytic induction, and his rise to prominence in sociology. In addition, crucial aspects of the Gluecks' perspective, reflecting their own professional interests in law and psychiatry, further contributed to sociologists' hostile reaction. Nevertheless, the Gluecks' research on such basic issues as age and crime, criminal careers, and social control is more correct than commonly believed and actually is central to contemporary research. Footnotes and 123 references (Author abstract modified)