ABSTRACT
The discussion of sociological theories of crime is widened out in Chapter 5, which examines the work of Durkheim, Du Bois, the Atlanta School of Sociology, Merton and Tannenbaum. It charts the rise of a sociological criminology that is concerned with meaning and power, that provides a conception of humanity within situations and an understanding of how human beings respond to life problems that are not always of their making. The sociological and criminological imagination of Durkheim, Du Bois, Merton and Tannenbaum can be interpreted as a reaction to the times in which they lived and an attempt to make sense of the individual and social crises with which they were confronted, yet their insights continue to have a resonance today.
