Randall Sheldon (criminal justice, U. of Nevada, Las Vegas) has provided an introduction which sets Quinney's 1974 text within the context of the time it was written as well as within his oeuvre. Quinney's (emeritus, sociology, Northern Illinois U.) analysis seeks to correct how crime is perceived. He notes the media's tendency to overemphasize violence and create a "good guy/bad guy" scenario when writing about crime, misleading the public in the process. The links between class and crime and the tendency to ignore the social ills that cause crime are the central themes. Annotation Book News, Inc., Portland, OR
Richard Quinney is professor emeritus of sociology at Northern Illinois University. His books and articles have covered such varied topics as criminology, law, religion and spirituality. His criminology books, published early in his career, became legendary to an entire generation of criminologists. These books include The Social Reality of Crime, The Problem of Crime, Criminal Behavior Systems, Critique of Legal Order, Class, State and Crime and Criminology as Peacemaking.
Randall G. Shelden is professor in the department of criminal justice, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He is the author of Controlling the Dangerous Classes: A Critical Introduction to the History of Criminal Justice, Criminal Justice in America: A Sociological Approach and co-author of Girls, Delinquency and Jeeline Justice and Youth Gangs in American Society.