ABSTRACT
Thorsten Sellin's groundbreaking contributions to criminology began with an emphasis on the influence of the conflict between cultural values in the genesis of criminal acts. Criminal statistics was another area that Sellin investigated. He and Marvin Wolfgang stressed that accurately measuring the seriousness of offenses is an essential disciplinary task, whether the aim is to fashion a theory considering the relationship between crime and social structure or designing a rational punishment program. Sellin's monograph on crime and the economic depression of the 1930s is of particular current interest as the United States and the remainder of the world struggles with economic devastation. Learning concepts, or perhaps more accurately, the idea of indoctrination, underlay the culture conflict theme that Sellin developed to meet his assigned task. His focus on penal policy inevitably confronted him with the disproportionate imprisonment of African-Americans and members of minority groups.
