Using a distinctive and original perspective, this book discusses the development of the social control of deviance in modern states. Mechanisms of social control, Melossi argues, have been structured in a direct way by concepts of the state and political order. He analyzes both the early development of theories of the state and law in Europe, and brings the discussion up to date with a consideration of current debates about social control in the United States. An assessment of the legacy of the work of Machiavelli, Hobbes and Locke is followed by a consideration of Rousseau"s work on natural law, democracy and the French revolution, Hegel"s Ethical State and Marx"s concepts of political and economic democracy. Melossi then turns his attention to the struggle for democracy in Europe, considering Durkeim, Weber, Kelser and Gramsci. Turning to social control and social order in American democracy, Melossi focusus on the work of the Chicago School in the 1920s and the work of Parsons and Easton. In conclusion, he develops his own theory of social control, incorporating ideas drawn from current debates in social and political theory.