The first chapter addresses questions of defining and measuring criminality. The focus is on the urban nature of crime, crime participation rates of young males from less privileged backgrounds, and growing public concern with law and order problems. Subsequent chapters examine cities and crime, juvenile delinquency and social structure, new approaches to the study of crime that emphasize societal reactions, policing, contemporary issues in criminology, victims, and crime control. The social construction of crime is discussed in terms of defining crime, recording crime, and studying crime from a sociological perspective. The concept of social disorganization is used to explain the incidence of crime in cities. Consideration is also paid to the importance of communication, the youth subculture and its link to juvenile delinquency, the relation between social structure and crime, critical criminology, and deviance theories. In addition, the book explores gender and crime, feminist perspectives, male dominance and violence, victimization and victim support, fear of crime, and the media response. References