Trends and Problems in the Sociological Study of Crime

Abstract

Major trends in the sociological study of crime for the past quarter of a century include a movement away from concrete studies of crime and criminals toward more general theories of deviance and social control, the development of labeling theory as a dominant perspective in sociology, a concentration on applied, "impact" studies, and the growth of conflict theory. One consequence of these trends is that we have withdrawn attention from the offender to those who are part of the social control network. A need to refocus our attention on the nature of criminal activity is suggested. Second, we should devote more resources to the study of so-called "white-collar crime." Our failure to do so is documented, along with reasons for the failure and suggestions for some directions such studies might take.