Since 1978, when Florida and Arizona first passed specific laws against computer abuse (Scott, 1984;8,17), state and federal governments have legislated an entirely new body of substantive criminal law specifically designed to prevent computer-related criminality by computer users (BloomBecker, 1986; Soma et al., 1985). The rapid criminalization of computer abuse represents an exception to the gradual and reformist nature of typical law formation in common law jurisdictions.