The theme emphasized throughout the book is that crime must be understood as a "social problem." Part One, "Structuring Views of Crime," contains a chapter that reviews the content and sources of public notions of contemporary crime and punishment. Another chapter in this section examines the role of major interest groups in determining who and what come to be labeled criminal in American society and in shaping the content of perceptions of crime as a social problem. Part Two explores various dimensions of criminal activity, including a critical look at the statistics used to gain a sense of crime in America. Two chapters provide detailed analyses of four correlates of criminal activity: gender, age, race, and class. Another chapter profiles victims of crime. Part Three explores five types of crime, some of which the public knows well, others of which the public is relatively ignorant. Part Four addresses a more traditional criminological concern: explaining criminal behavior. The last two parts of the book address crime control. One part studies the criminal justice system, and the other part examines five contemporary and controversial crime control issues: drugs and crime, gun control, career offenders, civil liberties, and capital punishment. 2,350 references and name and subject indexes