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 about crime and crime control with what is actually known to be true. 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 in Australia. 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 with regard to crime prevention and control in Australia.

In a clear style, Weatherburn provides numerous ideas for better policies, ones that will actually work.

Table of Contents

CHAPTER 1: How serious is Australia's crime problem?
CHAPTER 2: How rational is our response to crime?
CHAPTER 3: What causes crime?
CHAPTER 4: What can the police do?
CHAPTER 5: What can the criminal justice system do?
CHAPTER 6: Can we stem the flow of criminal opportunities?
CHAPTER 7: Can we stem the flow of offenders?
CHAPTER 8: Key issues in crime prevention and control

"This book is an extremely well researched and thought-provoking read."
-- Gowan Carter, NT Police News (Sept 2005)

"This is one of those myth busting books you wish you had to hand when assailed across a dinner party table by some boorish know-it-all insisting we need to get even ‘tougher on crime’. Weatherburn demolishes the rhetoric with the reality of what ‘works’ and ‘doesn’t work’ in controlling crime. For every seemingly bold assertion (eg prison works as an incapacitator keeping offenders out of circulation but not as a deterrent to reoffending) there is a wealth of reference to empirical studies from around the globe to back it up....

I couldn’t detect a flicker of bias – if its evidence-based Weatherburn accepts it. For once some back page previews are correct. The book is ‘fast-paced’ and ‘punchy’ but is also ‘a breath of fresh air’."
-- Tony Foley, Ethos (ACT Law Society Newsletter) September 2005