ABSTRACT
A new paradigm was raising its ugly head. Conflict theory, a traditional area of study in sociology, became relevant to the study of crime. Therefore, the question that it was hoped academic research project would answer was the extent to which there existed gaps between public opinion and criminal law. Indeed, most research on labelling theory was conducted in the realm of victimless crimes, only occasionally with traditional crimes. The works of Turk, Quinney and Chambliss popularized the application of the conflict paradigm to criminology. As the paradigm broke, there were attempts to show, using "hard data" that the labelling perspective either did or did not apply. In any case, in 1969, research into the relationship between law and opinion seemed a pressing need. It would seem that empirical research is irrelevant to this theoretical view. The cost of cross-national research is phenomenally high.
