The most characteristic and highly developed aspects of the current French sociology of crime are its approach to the study of crime through an analysis of actual and symbolic penal "economics" (process and representation), its historical mutations, and its actors. The field is becoming more diversified with the appearance of sociologies of deviance inspired by trends in American sociology, by the contributions of national sociological schools, and above all by the interest shown in the field by specialists from related subjects. This paper briefly describes the history of the French sociology of crime, its major thrust, and its recent diversification. 27 notes and 78 references (Author abstract modified)