The first article analyzes whether criminal law is overused in the resolution of social problems. The need for striking a balance between pressures to expand the criminal justice system and the financial, moral, and social cost of that process is emphasized. The next article analyzes empirical research concerning the influence of the modern family on the rise of juvenile offenses. It shows that the erosion of parental authority and supervision is closely related to the increase in juvenile offenses. Next, American and British ghetto conditions are analyzed, and the danger of increased ghettoization in western Europe is emphasized. Another article argues for the use of reparative justice and restitution to replace the current punitive criminal justice system. The last article analyzes the ideological debate which determines the legalization of drugs with a special emphasis on coffee, alcohol, cannabis, and hard drugs. The journal also includes an insight into the workings of Heuni, the Helsinki (Finland) criminal justice arm of the United Nations; over 30 abstracts on aspects of criminal policy in Europe; and information about conferences, book reviews and noteworthy events.