NCJ Number
67896
Date Published
1978
Length
628 pages
Annotation
THE NEW DIMENSIONS OF CRIME AND CRIMINALITY, AS SEEN FROM A CULTURALLY RELATIVISTIC PERSPECTIVE, ARE EXPLORED IN TERMS OF INDIVIDUAL PSYCHODYNAMICS, THE SOCIAL REALITY OF CRIME, AND OTHER THEORIES.
Abstract
USING SOURCES SUCH AS CONVENTIONAL CRIMINOLOGY, SOCIOLOGY, AND PSYCHOLOGY TEXTS AND PRINTED MEDIA, THE BOOK DISCUSSES TRADITIONAL AND NEWLY EMERGING FORMS OF DEVIANCE AND CRIME AND PUBLIC ATTITUDES TOWARDS THESE PHENOMENA. VARIETIES OF CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR ARE EXAMINED, INCLUDING POLITICAL AND BUSINESS CRIMES. THE TENDENCY OF THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM TO MORE STRINGENTLY PUNISH LAW-STATUS OFFENDERS WHO TRADITIONALLY ENGAGE IN ONE TYPE OF CRIMINALITY THAN HIGHER STATUS WHITE-COLLAR OFFENDERS, AND TO CONSIDER THE CRIMES OF THE FORMER GROUP AS MORE SOCIALLY HARMFUL, IS EXAMINED. THE FIRST SECTION OF THE BOOK, ON CRIME IN SOCIETY, INCLUDES SUCH TOPICS AS CRIME AND THE CRIMINAL LAW, THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM, TRADITIONAL CRIME, WHITE-COLLAR CRIME, AND POLITICAL CRIME. A SYMPATHETIC VIEW IS TAKEN OF RADICAL MOVEMENTS IN THE UNITED STATES, ON THE OTHER HAND, LAW ENFORCEMENT EFFORTS AGAINST POLITICAL ACTIVISTS, SUCH AS FBI UNDERCOVER ACTIVITIES, ARE TERMED ILLEGAL AND REPRESSIVE. THE SECOND SECTION FOCUSES ON ATTRIBUTES OF THE CRIMINAL PERSONALITY. IT MAINTAINS THAT INDIVIDUALS WHO COMMIT ACTS LEGALLY DEFINED AS CRIMES DO NOT POSSESS PERSONALITY TRAITS DIFFERENT FROM THESE OF SO CALLED NORMAL AND LAW ABIDING CITIZENS. PATTERNS OF VIOLENCE ARE EXPLAINED IN SOCIOCULTURAL TERMS. EITHER AS SECONDARY ACTS THAT ARE INSTRUMENTAL TO, ORBYPRODUCTS OF, OTHER CRIMINAL ACTIVITIES (E.G., ORGANIZED CRIME). VIOLENCE THAT EXPLODES IN SENSELESS ACTS OF RAW DESTRUCTIVENESS IS TRACED TO AN INDIVIDUAL'S PSYCHODYNAMIC CONDITION, OR SOCIOPATHIC SYNDROME. THE OFFENSE SHOULD BE CONSIDERED AND THE OFFENDER TREATED IN A PSYCHIATRIC ENVIRONMENT. DIAGNOSTIC SKILLS SHOULD BE DEVELOPED IN DIFFERENTIATING DANGEROUS SEX OFFENDERS SUCH AS RAPISTS AND CHILD MOLESTERS FROM HARMLESS DEVIANTS. THE FORMER GROUP SHOULD BE TREATED AS PSYCHOPATHS. THE THIRD SECTION, DEVOTED TO THE CAUSAL CONTEXT OF CRIME, CONTAINS A STATE-OF-THEART REVIEW OF MODERN CRIMINOLOGICAL THEORIES. PART FOUR, DEALING WITH TREATMENT AND CONTROL OF CRIME AND DELINQUENCY, RECOMMENDS ALTERNATIVES TO INCARCERATION. IT SUGGESTSUSE OF COMMUNITY-BASED PROGRAMS TO TREAT THE MAJORITY OF OFFENDERS, THE RELATIVELY SMALL NUMBER OF VIOLENT PSYCHOPATHS IN PROGRESSIVE PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITALS OR SYNANON-TYPE ENVIRONMENTS. TABLES AND STATISTICS ARE APPENDED. BIBLIOGRAPHIC REFERENCES ARE GIVEN IN FOOTNOTES. A NAME INDEX AND A SUBJECT INDEX ARE PROVIDED.