Overviews of the histories of crime and violence in America are presented, and the evolution of crime statistics in the United States is traced. The diverse ways in which criminology has dealt with the criminal are explored, beginning with the emergence of the classical school of modern criminology in the late 1700's, progressing to neoclassical revisionism in the middle 1800's, and culminating with the development of the modern school in the 1960's. Biological, psychological, sociological, and economic approaches to explaining the behavior of the criminal are considered. The victim's contribution to the criminal offense is analyzed, and situations in which victimizations are likely to occur are discussed. Perspectives are provided on social contexts of crime, and person-to-person violent crime and property crimes are examined. Also considered are corporate crime, social crime, organized crime, political crime, and crime against organizations. The roles of the police, the courts, and corrections are assessed. Various possibilities for dealing with the problems of criminal justice are explored, including redefining criminal acts and changing the social context of crime through community action. Twenty-five tables, 10 figures, and numerous chapter references are given. Name and subject indexes are supplied.