ABSTRACT
Among the almost infinite variety of law breakers, the "professionals" have the most highly developed criminal carrers, social status (among other law violators) and skills (Roebuck 1983). Sociological concepts can probably help us understand this pattern of criminal behavior more than any other form of crime. Professional criminals have most likely never been very numerous at any time, and there is every indication that their numbers have declined to such an extent that some criminologists have referred to them as "old fashioned criminals" (Cressey 1972, 45). For example, a variety of preventive devices have made professional forgery more difficult, and there is a possibility that it is declining, as are other other types of professional crimes. While it is not true that they have "gone the way of the dinosaurs," they are nevertheless a fading breed of offenders.
