Participation in crime and involvement with the criminal justice system has reached such levels as to become part of normal economic life for many young men, particularly less- educated and black men. This essay contains evidence that labor market incentives influence the level of crime and argues that the depressed labor market for less-skilled men in the 1980s and 1990s has contributed to the rise in criminal activity by less- skilled men. Data are presented in the following subject areas: Magnitudes of Criminal Involvement; Trends in Criminal Participation; Labor Market Causes of Crime; The Relative Rewards of Crime; Responses to the Return to Crime; and Crime, Incarceration and Economic Life. Increased resources for police to prevent crime, incarceration of criminals during their most crime-intensive years, and increased legitimate opportunities for the less-skilled would seem to offer a way to deter at least some young men from committing crimes. Footnotes, figure, tables, references