The text is organized in three sections, with each section containing two papers on related topics, plus a third paper that presents critical commentary. An introduction and epilogue by the editors outline the contending criminological theories and the current theoretical impasse in Canadian criminology. New directions are suggested for a sociology of the State and social control. In Part One, contributors focus on the problem of criminal justice reform in Canada, clarifying some of the integral ties between reform movements and the State and questioning the very definition of 'reform.' Part Two uses contemporary theoretical and empirical models to analyze the 'relative-autonomy-of-the-state' thesis as it applies to the Canadian criminal justice and legal systems. A third section contains theoretical and historical examinations of the Canadian State as they relate to criminal justice politics. Chapter notes, references. (Publisher summary modified)