This reader is one of several supplementary materials for a 15-week newspaper course about crime and justice, mainly in the United States. Six units contain 67 readings from primary sources such as journal articles, monographs, personal interviews, published letters, and government reports. The readings present personal experiences, research findings, and debate over controversial issues related to crime and justice. "Understanding Crime" contains essays which question the usefulness of jailing all criminals. "Institutional Crime" documents historical and contemporary criminal activities within big business, organized crime, and federal programs. "Street Crime" presents a cross section of crimes committed by muggers, drug offenders, street gangs, female crooks, and rapists, as well as descriptions of the crime-promoting environments of certain racial and ethnic groups. In "Criminal Law" the essays review issues of capital punishment, humanitarian theories of punishment, marijuana prohibition, and rights of the accused. "The Administration of Criminal Justice" explores police corruption, preventive detention, and an overview of criminal sentencing in the United States. "Punishment" describes life in prisons. (AV)