Law and Order in Australia

How much crime is committed in Australia? What sort of crime, where, and by whom? What can we do to stop it? Law and Order in Australia deals in facts and dispels myths. It informs public debate about crime in Australia by contrasting popular assumptions with the truth. Don Weatherburn, Director of the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research, shows how policies are driven by the political need to manage public reactions, not to control and prevent crime. The opening chapter examines the seriousness of Australia's crime problems. Weatherburn then offers a critique of the way Australian governments attempt to deal with crime. Next, he provides the foundations for a discussion of what actually works in crime prevention and control by highlighting some basic facts about crime and offenders. The final chapters discuss key issues and conclusions. Weatherburn provides numerous ideas for better policies, ones that will actually work.

This book provides a highly readable review of the making of policy on crime in Australia, showing how these are driven by the political need to manage public reactions, not to control and prevent crime. It shows what works and what doesn't on crime and its control, providing a punchy overview of the essential reality of contemporary prevention in Australia --with powerful echoes of developments in North America, the UK and elsewhere.