Explaining CrimeThis text takes a critical look at various explanations of crime: it examines the clarity of concepts and hypotheses, the evidence for a theory of crime production, and the consequences of applying a theory. The author probes into the concept of 'wrong, ' the concern with crime, and the definition of crime. Official and unofficial procedures for counting crime are examined. The correlation between social conditions and criminal activity is discussed. The various explanations of crime focus on the theories of rational crime, crime and conflict, structures of opportunity, subcultures and crime, definitions of situations of crime (differential association and societal reaction), sociopsychological explanations (control theory), and criminogenic conditions. References and indexes are appended. |
Contents
Questions and Answers | 15 |
Tests and Observations | 75 |
Victims | 87 |
Copyright | |
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action acts aggressive American anomie answer arrest association assumption automobile theft behavior boys burglary Canada causal causes cities citizens committed conception conduct conflict conflict criminology control theory conviction correlation counting course court crime rates criminal activity criminal law criminogenic criminology culture defined definition deterrence differential effects ethnic example explanations of crime fact factors findings focal concerns groups Hirschi human hypothesis idea illegitimacy increase individuals interpretation Journal justice juvenile delinquency kinds of crime labeling labeling theory larceny less M'Naghten's males means measures moral murder Nettler offenses official statistics percent person police political population proportion Psychology punishment question radical criminology rape rational records reported response result robbery sample self-report sentence serious crimes social class Social Psychology society Sociological sociologists Statistics Canada status stealing studies subcultural theft theory United urban validity variables varies victims violence wrong York