Sellin, Thorsten: Culture Conflict and Crime

Colin H. Goff

During the late 1920s and early 1930s, the large number of individuals immigrating to the United States led some Americans to raise questions about the norms and cultural values of the newly arrived groups. In particular, concerns were raised about possible conflicts between the norms and cultural values of the society from which they had come and those in existence within the United States. Some argued that these differences would lead to high rates of criminal behavior among immigrants as a result of the cultural conflict. Concerns were also raised about the possibility of a weakening of American society. Two potential types of criminal behavior stemming from conflict between the different norms and values were identified. The first possible conflict was seen as arising from the cultural values immigrants themselves had brought with them and the differing norms and values that already existed in the United States. The second conflict ...

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