Inequality, Crime and Public Policy (Routledge Revivals)

First published in 1979, Inequality, Crime and Public Policy integrates and interprets the vast corpus of existing research on social class, slums, and crime. It presents its own findings on these matters, exploring two major questions.

First, do policies designed to redistribute wealth and power within capitalist societies have effects upon crime? Second, do policies created to overcome the residential segregation of social classes have effects on crime?

The book provides a brilliantly comprehensive and systematic review of the empirical evidence to support or refute the classic theories of Engels, Bonger, Merton, Cloward and Ohlin, Cohen, Miller, Shaw and McKay, amongst many others. Braithwaite confronts these theories with evidence of the extent and nature of white-collar crime, and a consideration of the way law enhancement and law enforcement might serve class interest.