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Crime and the American dream / Steven F. Messner, Richard Rosenfeld.
LIBRA HV6022.U6 M47 2001
Available from offsite location
- Format:
- Book
- Author/Creator:
- Messner, Steven F., 1951-
- Series:
- Wadsworth series in criminological theory
- The Wadsworth series in criminological theory
- Language:
- English
- Subjects (All):
- Criminology--United States.
- Criminology.
- United States.
- Crime--United States--Sociological aspects.
- Crime.
- Social structure--United States.
- Social structure.
- Anomy.
- Physical Description:
- xiv, 130 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm.
- Edition:
- Third edition.
- Place of Publication:
- Australia ; Belmont, CA : Wadsworth, [2001]
- Summary:
- The foundation of this book is institutional anomie theory, an offshoot of strain theory. It explores why America's over-emphasis on the pursuit of materialistic gain contributes to the country's high rates of violent crime.
- Contents:
- 1 A Society Organized for Crime 1
- Crime and Responses to Crime in America 2
- The Nature and Level of Criminal Violence 3
- Fear of Crime 4
- Crime Control 4
- The Virtues and Vices of the American Dream 5
- Evolution of the Concept of the American Dream 6
- The Dark Side of the American Dream 7
- Monetary Success and Noneconomic Roles 7
- Universalism and Economic Inequality 8
- The Rise, Fall, and Revival of the Anomie Perspective 10
- Core Ideas, Assumptions, and Propositions 10
- The "Golden Age" of Anomie Theory 11
- Decline and Revival 12
- Unfinished Business 13
- 2 By Any Means Necessary: Serious Crime in America 16
- Cross-National Comparisons of Crime 18
- Robbery and Homicide Rates in International Context 18
- Gun-Related Crime 21
- Has It Always Been This Way? 23
- Race and Criminal Violence 25
- White-Collar Crimes 26
- Serious Crime and the Quality of Life 28
- Taking Precautions by Any Means Necessary 29
- Life in a War Zone 30
- The Struggle for Institutional Control 31
- 3 Ships in the Night: Theoretical Perspectives in Contemporary Criminology 37
- The Scope Conditions of Contemporary Criminological Theories 38
- Levels of Explanation 38
- Serious Crimes 42
- The Unfulfilled Promise of the Sociological Paradigm 44
- Cultural-Social Learning Explanations of Crime 46
- Disorganization-Control Explanations of Crime 48
- The Common Origins of Cultural Deviance Theory and Social Disorganization Theory 51
- Anomie-Strain Explanations of Crime 52
- Criticisms of Anomie Theory 54
- 4 Culture, Institutional Structure, and Social Control: A Sociological Explanation of Crime 60
- The Value Foundations of the American Dream 61
- Achievement 62
- Individualism 63
- Universalism 63
- The "Fetishism" of Money 63
- The Institutional Structure of American Society 64
- The Nature and Functioning of Social Institutions 65
- The American Dream and the Institutional Balance of Power 68
- Devaluation 70
- Accommodation 72
- Penetration 75
- Social Organization and Crime 76
- Anomie and the Weakening of Institutional Control 76
- The Social Distribution of Crime: Gender and Race 79
- Kids, Drugs, Guns, and Violence 83
- 5 Strengthening Social Institutions and Rethinking the American Dream 90
- Conventional Strategies for Crime Control 92
- The Conservative Camp: The War on Crime 92
- Mandatory-Minimum Sentencing and the Drug War 93
- The Expansion of Punitive Social Control 94
- Unintended Consequences of Expanded Punitive Control 95
- The Liberal Camp: The War on Poverty and on Inequality of Opportunity 96
- Effects of Liberal Policies on Crime Rates 97
- Unintended Consequences of Liberal Reform 98
- Beyond Liberalism and Conservatism 99
- Crime Reduction through Social Reorganization 101
- Institutional Reform 101
- The Family and Schools 101
- The Polity 104
- Social Stratification and the Economy 106
- The Task of Cultural Regeneration 108
- An Intellectual Foundation for Change 109
- Toward a Mature Society 110.
- Notes:
- Includes bibliographical references (pages 113-125) and index.
- ISBN:
- 0534562779
- OCLC:
- 45024493
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