ABSTRACT
Most serious crimes are committed by powerful wealthy people, referred to by criminologist James W. Coleman as the criminal elite, and those crimes are clearly rooted in economic and social factors. While drugs are the center of their criminal activities, police also become involved in other crimes through the course of protecting their illegal drug endeavors, including murder and frame-ups of innocent people. With all of the manipulation of criminal statistics and the fabricated media propaganda about crime prevalence and corresponding crime rates, it is difficult to know what to think about the effectiveness of the criminal justice system. While the criminal justice system is ineffectual when it comes to preventing crime, it has been effective in thwarting public protests and community organizing. Some researchers believe police corruption is a result of the realization that legitimate policing will not and cannot reduce crime. Both Conflict Theory and Structural Functionalism have much to offer in understanding crimes of the criminal elites.
