It examines the nature of criminal offenses, examines definitions of deviance, and examines rule-following and rule-breaking and their relationship to criminal law. The bases of what is known about law-breaking behaviors then is discussed with reference to journalistic accounts, fiction, official statistics, self-report data, and victimization surveys. The natural history of law-breaking is considered in terms of relative frequencies; types of law-breaking; and issues related to prevalence, female deviance, professionalism, cultures and subcultures, and social networks and families. The theory of criminological explanation as applied to misbehavior is examined. Reasons for rule-breaking are delineated including ignorance of the rule, misapplication, private justification, pleasure, and risk-taking. Measures to reduce rule-breaking are evaluated, including diversion, prosecution, the death penalty, treatment, and custodial sentences. Deterrence, incapacitation, just deserts and education are examined as rationales for sanctions. The juvenile justice system is discussed, and an analysis is presented of criminalization and stigma. The role of the victim in the criminal process also is examined. Finally, the contributions of ideology and politics to the criminal process are discussed. Chapter notes, index, and 26 references.