No abstract

In 1978, LEAA sponsored a workshop on race, crime, and social policy in which research was discussed from a "minority perspective." The meaning of the term minority perspective is explicated in an assessment of contemporary criminological research. Exploration of the minority perspective serves to suggest the kind of research that is needed in the future .Within the small circle of criminologists who are also members of ethnic minorities, we talk about a &dquo;black perspective,&dquo; a &dquo;Chicano perspective,&dquo; and, more generally, a &dquo;minority perspective&dquo; with respect to the study of race, crime, and social policy. The purpose of this article is to clarify the meaning of minority perspective and, in the process, to consider the potential contribution to research from criminologists sharing such a perspective. This research is discussed as an alternative to much of the standard academic research, which has contributed to the growing political crisis in the field'; it is not my purpose here to revive the &dquo;insider-outsider&dquo; controversy of the 1970s. 2 THE METHODS OF SOCIAL RESEARCHIn considering what is meant by a minority perspective, Alvin Gouldner's &dquo;sociology of the underdog&dquo; is a helpful starting point. The sociology of the underdog represents a commitment to sympathy and compassion for racial minorities in this society because of the suffering that is a consequence of minority group membership. This suffering is highly visible in the rate of

No abstract

No abstract

University of MichiganOne important aspect of parole recidivism rates is the parole agent's designation of the client as a "success" or a "failure." This means that recidivism is not totally an attribute of the client but that it represents, in part, a judgment by the worker. This paper examines parole agent responses to ten hypothetical case histories of parolees and the factors that influence these responses.ONE NOTION underlying current re-