Crime tops the headlines, leads the evening news, and is a focus of every election. But what causes crime? Is there a more rational way to address it than by law-and-order crusades crafted by politicians and their consultants to win elections? In this fact-filled, sweeping treatment, George Winslow takes on every aspect of crime, from the streets to the suites. Unlike conventional accounts, Capital Crimes places the issues in the context of the global economy - from the Burmese heroin trade to homicide in our cities, from capital flight to corporate money - laundering schemes. Winslow reveals how the occurrence, extent and type of crime committed, as well as society's response to the problem, are largely shaped by economic elites. Based upon extensive research and interviews, Capital Crimes presents a comprehensive alternative to a " lock 'em up" approach that has produced a gargantuan prison - industrial complex without coming to term with the current system of global production and finance that makes crime so appealing and lucrative.