The Wrath

In my opinion, crime is anything which the law defines as crime. That isn't the definition used by everyone, but it's the one I use. The second question is one that I'm hoping to answer in my thesis. I believe that all theories (yes, even Marxist ones) have truth to them, but I have yet to decide which one I give the most credence.

Couldn't have said it better myself. So, can you recommend anyone?

Ultimately, yes, it is an individual choice, but that doesn't mean that society can't pull people in a certain direction. If that weren't the case, then Sweden would produce just as many wacko terrorists as Iran.

That's the approach that I'm looking for, but I can't base a thesis on the writings of someone who did no research in criminology. Do you know of any criminologists who base their research in that kind of perspective?

Nevermind, just looked him up. Judging by the titles, his books are focused on what causes individuals to become criminals. Marxist, conflict, and anomie theories all focus on attributes of society, as a whole, that cause criminality, as a whole. I'm looking for something to counter Marxist and radical criminologies from a Capitalist point of view, on a large, societal scale. What causes criminality in individuals is a very interesting topic but, for my thesis, I'd rather discuss the broader societal causes, in a way that combats with Marxism and radicalism.

I'm not sure who that is. Is he a criminologist?

Thanks for the thought, but that thread seems to be more about society's reactions to crime, how it is defined, and how it is treated by the law. The word "criminology" denotes a set of theories that try to explain the causation of crime and, although societies reactions are often a part of it, that is not what I'm looking for. For instance, Marxist criminology (something I've read quite a bit of) says, in a nutshell, that crime is caused by the Capitalist economic system. Conflict theory says it is caused by groups who compete for power and, when one of those groups gains power, it criminalizes the actions of the other groups. Anomie thoery says that crime is caused by social anonymity. Obviously, these theories are much more complex than the way I have them stated, but you get the general picture. I'm looking for a theory, or at least a writer, that expounds a Capitalist view of the causation of crime.

I'm currently working on a Master's degree in Criminal Justice and I'm gonna have to start writing my thesis pretty soon. I'd like to write it on a macrotheory of criminal justice, but most of the macrotheories that I am familiar with are either Marxist or Anarchist in origin. Does anyone know of any good criminology writers who base their research in Capitalism, or should I just write a thesis debunking Marxist criminology?