The environmental perspective is founded on three premises: (1) that crime is best understood in terms of an interaction between the offender and the immediate environment; (2) that crime is therefore patterned according to the criminogenic nature of the environment; and (3) that knowledge of crime patterns is useful in the prevention and control of crime. This book works sequentially through these three themes to unfold the environmental perspective story. Divided into three sections, the first section presents four ways of conceptualizing the contribution of immediate environments to crime. The second section covers approaches that focus on the geo-spatial distribution of crime and the selection of specific crime targets by offenders. The chapters in this section present key analytical techniques of environmental criminology and crime analysis. In the third and final section, the end-use application of environmental criminology and crime analysis are examined. Understanding and analyzing crime patterns can tell where and when crime is likely to occur. The chapters in this book are written by theorists and practitioners and each one analyzes 1 of the 12 major elements of environmental criminology and crime analysis. All together they set out the foundational theories, concepts, and techniques that comprise the environmental perspective in criminology. The environmental perspective in criminology is bound by a common focus on the role that the immediate environment plays in the performance of crime, and a conviction that careful analyses of these environmental influences are the key to the effective investigation, control, and prevention of crime. The book is considered essential reading for both practitioners working in the field, as well as college students. Figures, tables, references, and index