James Q. Wilson is one of the leading contemporary criminologists in the United States. Wilson, who has taught at several major universities during his academic career, has also written on economics and politics during his lengthy career. During the 1960s and 1970s, Wilson voiced concerns about trying to address the social causes of crime. He argued instead that public policy is most effective when it focuses on objective matters like the costs and benefits of crime. Wilson views criminals as rational human beings who will not commit crimes when the costs associated with crime become impractical.

Wilson grew up in Long Beach, California. He graduated from the University of Redlands in 1952 and then served three years in the U.S. Navy. Upon his discharge he entered graduate school at the University of Chicago, earning a doctorate in 1959. He was hired by Harvard University to teach government and remained...