William J. Chambliss

William J. Chambliss was an American sociologist and criminologist known for his groundbreaking work in conflict theory, critical criminology, and sociology of law. He held academic positions at the University of Washington and George Washington University and was a past president of both the American Society of Criminology and the Society for the Study of Social Problems. Chambliss is widely recognized for challenging traditional views of crime by exposing how power, class, and legal structures shape definitions of deviance.

Chambliss made major contributions to Marxist and conflict-oriented criminology, arguing that laws are tools of the ruling class used to maintain social control and protect economic interests. In his influential essay Toward a Political Economy of Crime (1975), he emphasized that criminal law reflects the interests of the powerful rather than a neutral standard of justice. His empirical studies—such as the classic fieldwork Saints and Roughnecks (1973)—demonstrated how class-based labeling leads to differential treatment of offenders, even when their behaviors are similar. Chambliss helped shape radical criminology in the 1970s and remains a central figure in critical legal studies, labeling theory, and the sociology of deviance.

Interview

This video interview was conducted as part of the Oral History of Criminology Project. In this conversation, William J. Chambliss discusses his Marxist approach to criminology, the political dimensions of crime and law, and his pioneering research on power, inequality, and the state.