Crime and the American Dream / Edition 5

by Steven F. Messner

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	2901111346965
Publisher:	Cengage Learning
Publication date:	06/14/2012
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	176
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 1.25(h) x 9.00(d)

About the Author

Steven F. Messner is Distinguished Teaching Professor of Sociology at the University at Albany, State University of New York. He received his Ph.D. from Princeton University and has taught at Columbia University and Nankai University in the People's Republic of China. His research has focused primarily on the relationship between features of social organization and violent crime rates. His other books include PERSPECTIVES ON CRIME AND DEVIANCE, (with Allen E. Liska), THEORETICAL INTEGRATION IN THE STUDY OF DEVIANCE AND CRIME, (with Marvin D. Krohn and Allen E. Liska), and CRIME AND SOCIAL CONTROL IN A CHANGING CHINA (with Jianhong Liu and Lening Zhang). Dr. Messner has also authored numerous articles and book chapters on the topic of criminal violence and is a Fellow of the American Society of Criminology.


Richard Rosenfeld is a Curators Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Missouri-St. Louis and a past President of the American Society of Criminology. He has written several articles on violent crime, crime statistics, and crime control policy, and his current research focuses on explaining changes in crime rates over time. He is an ASC Fellow and has served on the National Academy of Sciences Committee on Law and Justice.

Table of Contents

PREFACE. 1. A Society Organized for Crime. 2. By Any Means Necessary: Serious Crime in America. 3. Ships in the Night: Theoretical Perspectives in Contemporary Criminology. 4. Culture, Institutional Structure, and Social Control: A Sociological Explanation of Crime. 5. Strengthening Social Institutions and Rethinking the American Dream. REFERENCES. INDEX.

Editorial Reviews

Using current statistics and analysis of crime rates to develop their theory, Messner (sociology, SUNY, Albany) and Rosenfeld (sociology, U. of Missouri, St. Louis) advance the argument that exceptionally high crime rates in the US are due to distinctive sociological patterns, in particular, the formula for the American Dream<-->a strong emphasis on the goal of monetary success and a weak emphasis on the importance of the legitimate means for the pursuit of success. They conclude with a proposal for a mature society built on mutual support and collective obligations. This new edition addresses recent drops in crime rates and is updated throughout. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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