The full theoretical potential of Durkheim's ideas on crime and punishment has not been developed by his followers, who have focused on his earlier, less defensible formulations at the expense of his later, more significant developments. while labeling theory and functionalist approaches have drawn heavily on Durkheim's work, his contribution to an evolutionary theory of crime and punishment has only recently begun to attract attention. It is argued that a reformulated Durkheimian model needs to be developed before further progress towards an adequate evolutionary theory may be achieved.