The opening essay introduces key terms, such as 'classicism' and 'positivism,' which compose the discourse of theoretical criminology. It also identifies continuities that have informed the history of criminology. The second essay recounts the author's early attempt to break with mainstream criminology, the problems and opportunities this break occasioned, and current positions being negotiated in defining the proper character of criminology. Four essays present some early programmatic statements of anticriminology, including the hidden political meanings of crime and deviance and the nature of the difference between the old and emerging new criminologies. Three essays focus on the author's doubts about the direction of the criminological enterprise, dealing specifically with the problems of translating theories into policy and practice in the areas of social work, criminal justice, and delinquent youth culture. Two other essays continue this theme in a discussion of crime control and justice in the Third World. Other issues considered are the decentralization of crime control, criminalization, and the political significance of crime in the Third World. A previously unpublished essay addresses how radical social movements such as feminism deal with criminal law. Chapter notes.