THE CONCEPT HAS REMAINED UNCLEAR BECAUSE CRIMINOLOGISTS HAVE SUBSUMED DIFFERENT BEHAVIORS UNDER THE TERM. IN ADDITION, WRITERS HAVE VARIED ON THE AMOUNT OF EMPHASIS GIVEN TO THE SOCIAL STATUS OF THE OFFENDER, HAVE EMPLOYED DIFFERENT MEANINGS OF OCCUPATIONAL ACTIVITY, AND HAVE LACKED CONSISTENCY IN DESIGNATING THE ILLEGAL NATURE OF THE OFFENSES. BECAUSE THE CONCEPT INCLUDES A WIDE RANGE OF BEHAVIORS, IT BECOMES NECESSARY TO DELINEATE MORE HOMOGENEOUS UNITS FOR THE PURPOSE OF EXPLANATION. THESE WOULD INCLUDE 'OCCUPATIONAL CRIMES' (ALL VIOLATIONS THAT OCCUR IN THE COURSE OF OCCUPATIONAL ACTIVITY); 'OCCUPATIONAL DEVIATION' (ALL OCCUPATIONAL BEHAVIOR THAT VIOLATES THE INSTITUTIONALIZED EXPECTATIONS OF AN OCCUPATION); AND 'CRIMINAL OCCUPATIONAL DEVIATION' (CRIMINAL VIOLATIONS WHICH ARE ALSO DEVIATIONS FROM OCCUPATIONAL NORMS). SEVERAL DISTINCT ORDERS OF BEHAVIOR BECOME EVIDENT WHEN THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR AND OCCUPATIONAL DEVIANCY IS CONSIDERED. FINALLY, IT IS IMPORTANT THAT DIFFERENT LEVELS OF EXPLANATION BE EMPLOYED IN FUTURE STUDIES OF OCCUPATIONAL CRIME AND DEVIATION. THEREFORE, CONSIDERATION SHOULD BE GIVEN TO THE EXPLANATION OF DIFFERENTIAL CRIME RATES AMONG DIVERSE SOCIAL GROUPS, OF RATES OF CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR IN OCCUPATIONS, AND OF THE CRIMINAL LAWS THEMSELVES. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT)...ELW