NCJ Number
85619
Date Published
1977
Length
48 pages
Annotation
The 15 articles in this booklet explore crime in America and consider its causes, theories of prevention, and the institutional means used to combat it, including police, courts, and corrections.
Abstract
The opening article notes that the problem of crime has no simple solutions, such as more laws and increased punishment, since the development and motives of criminals involved in various types of crime are complex and subject to a variety of factors. White-collar crime is considered in the second presentation, with attention to public commitment to dealing with such crime, the costs of such crime, and appropriate sanctions. The pervasive and persistent influence of organized crime in American society is considered in another essay, followed by a brief analysis of the nature of the urban crime problem. The relation of sex to the nature and rate of crime is analyzed in an essay, with attention to the affect on female crime of the women's movement and changes in traditional female roles. Another article advises that crime is not directly related to race but stems from socioeconomic conditions disproportionately experienced by minorities. Racial discrimination in the administration of the law is also considered. Other topics discussed are the philosophy of criminal law, the limits of criminal law, civil liberties and criminal law, law enforcement in a free society, pretrial detention, plea bargaining, punishment, prison reform, and the future of punishment.