WHY STUDY CRIME AND DELINQUENCY FROM A SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE?
One primary reason is so that we can obtain an accurate picture of the distribution and cost of crime. While most of us have what we might call an “emotional” picture of crime, how closely does this emotional picture correspond to reality? We must answer this question before we can design responses to crime (including police programs, judicial techniques, and punishment and/or rehabilitative programs) which will have beneficial effects. If our perceptions of crime and delinquency are not accurate, any program we design as a response to these problems, will, of course, not “fit” reality and, hence, will be largely or completely ineffective. This is an inefficiency which we can ill afford both morally and economically. Morally, we may punish certain segments of society seriously out of proportion to the true seriousness of their crimes – while letting other segments off lightly for much more serious crimes (one example which we will discuss in class is the issues of “white-collar crime”)
