On the Measurement of Delinquency

Abstract

Progress in the field of criminology has been characterized by an increasingly sophisticated level of development at both the theoretical and descriptive levels of analysis. For example, until recently our knowledge of criminal behavior has been limited to gross classifications (offense categories) or descriptions of elements (e.g., studies of burglary, robbery, homicide, etc.) of these classifications. With the publication in 1964 of The Measurement of Delinquency,1 Sellin and Wolfgang furthered our understanding of the qualitative elements in criminal behavior by defining and then measuring an element common to all types of criminal behavior: offense seriousness. Their