In an attempt to fill some of the major gaps between what the experts know about crime and what Australian policymakers, administrators, and citizens need to know, this book addresses specific questions on crime: (1) how much crime is committed in Australia or what is the extent of the crime problem; (2) what types of crimes are being committed, where, and by whom; and (3) what strategies can be implemented to reduce or stop crime. The book is divided into eight chapters. The first chapter discusses what is known about the scale, character, and direction of Australia’s crime problems. The second considers some of the subtle and not so subtle defects in Australian political responses to it. Chapter 3 specifically addresses the causes of crime. In chapters 4 and 5, the scope for controlling and preventing crime using the police and the criminal justice system is discussed. Chapters 6 and 7 are designed to highlight the scope for controlling crime through avenues other than deterrence and incapacitation. The final chapter outlines what seem to be the key priorities in crime control in Australia, such as setting priorities, building the capacity to reduce the supply of offenders and for criminal opportunity and incentive control, making the criminal justice system more effective, and understanding the contribution of criminology to crime control policy. Notes, index