Title: Losing legitimacy
First published: 1998
Description: Using unique data that span half a century, Gary LaFree argues that social institutions are the key to understanding the U.S. crime wave. Crime increased along with growing political distrust, economic stress, and family disintegration. These changes were especially pronounced for racial minorities. American society responded by investing more in criminal justice, education, and welfare institutions.

Stabilization of traditional social institutions and the effects of new institutional spending account for the modest crime declines of the 1990s.
Subjects: Social conditions, Social control, Crime prevention, Crime, Criminalite, Criminologie, Sociale controle, Conditions sociales, Controle social, Criminaliteit, Straatleven, Preventie, Prevention, Crime, united states, United states, social conditions, 1980-
Places: United States
Time periods: 1980-
LC classification: HV6789 .L34 1998