ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the criticize traditional sociological theories of delinquency, as theories of crime were questioned by Sutherland in his work on white-collar crime, by reference to the meaning of official statistics, the organizational practices of law-enforcement officials, and the prevalence of middle-to-upper-class delinquency. It focuses on the importance of decision-making as it occurs within the practical circumstances of police, probation, and court activities. The chapter examines decision-making through the different stages of the legal process. It shows how the background expectancies enable members to search for "valid" explanations of "what happened" and justify decisions. Community-defined social problems such as crime, delinquency, poverty and alcoholism have supplied many sociologists with their research problems and the relevant data. Members of the community, law-enforcement personnel, attorneys, judges, all respond to various behavioral or imputed symbolic or reported acts and events by juveniles with commonsense or lay conceptions, abstract legal rules, bureaucratic procedures, and policies.
