ABSTRACT
Based on an examination of the various ways that Americans are harmed, this chapter shows that some of the greatest dangers that they face come from acts that are not labeled crimes. The New York Times ran a story in 2005 with the headline “14 Die in Blast at BP Oil Refinery in Texas.”1 Ultimately, 15 people died and another 170 were injured. “Massacre” suggests a murderer, whereas “blast” and “explosion” suggest the work of impersonal forces. It is the task of this chapter to prove that the reality of crime is created and that it is created in a way that promotes a particular image of crime: The image that serious crime—and, therefore, the greatest danger to society—is the work of the poor. The notion that the reality of crime is created is derived from Richard Quinney, who maintained that crime has a “social reality” rather than an objective reality.
