Social Class and Crime

The relationship between social class and crime has long been a source of contention among criminologists. Many of the early criminological theories were founded on the unquestioned belief that people in the lower classes were more prone to criminal behavior than are those who are economically better off. While today this assumption is not as universally accepted, it still has many proponents. This entry examines the link between social class and criminality and considers the possibility that the assumption that the poor are more criminal than those in higher social classes may not be a valid one, yet it has had real consequences for those who are targeted by policies derived from theories that are predicated on this belief.