Social Class and Crime

Official crime statistics consistently show that the working class — and particularly the poorest sections of society — are disproportionately represented among those arrested, prosecuted, and imprisoned for criminal offences. However, this raises a fundamental sociological question: does the working class actually commit more crime, or is the apparent class pattern a product of selective policing, prosecution, and the social construction of crime statistics?

Key Definition: White-collar crime is crime committed by a person of respectability and high social status in the course of their occupation, as defined by Edwin Sutherland (1949). It includes fraud, embezzlement, insider trading, and tax evasion.

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Working-Class Crime: Theoretical Explanations

Several theories attempt to explain why working-class crime rates appear to be higher.

Strain Theory (Merton)

As discussed in Lesson 1, Merton (1938) argued that working-class crime results from the strain between culturally defined goals (material success) and the limited legitimate opportunities available to the working class. Unable to achieve the American Dream through education and employment, some turn to "innovation" — achieving material success through illegal means.

Subcultural Theories