Katz believes that sensual details are important because they form the phenomenological foreground of criminality. Katz argues that only with an awareness and analysis of foreground factors can one understand the moral and sensual attraction to crime. He draws on phenomenological and interactionist traditions in both sociology and criminology and attacks the statistical and correlational findings of positivist criminology. Katz embraces the research tradition in criminology and expresses support for those engaged in criminological field work. He also offers a sociological perspective on particular criminal situations and events. Katz's work renews the possibilities for critical criminology informed by interactionist perspectives. 34 references and 10 notes