What exactly is a ‘crime’? How can it be understood? Has society entered a period of escalating violence and public disorder? Does the media irresponsibly glamorise crime? What should be done to calm the public’s growing sense of insecurity and vulnerability? Can we expect our criminal justice system to be both fair and effective? To approach questions like these, the course examines the nature of crime and the various approaches that have been designed to control and respond to it, including: policing, imprisonment, prevention, community safety and restorative justice.

Record numbers of people being sent to prison, rising crime rates, fear of violent crime, young people out of control, public disorder and terrorist bombings are just a few of the global images that seem to characterise the beginning of the twenty-first century. Crime and the problem of how to respond to it are major concerns for society. Low IQ, single parenthood, an underclass, the media, unemployment, poverty, lenient courts, drugs, recession and affluence have all been cited as causes of crime. More police officers, tougher sentences, harsher prison regimes, better parenting, improved social and public policies and restorative justice have all been suggested as remedies.

D315 gives you an understanding of the contemporary nature of crime and criminal behaviour; concepts and issues in criminal justice; the functioning of the criminal justice system; and global directions in crime and crime control. Key questions explored by D315 include:

• what makes someone turn to crime?

• who is the criminal?

• why do we fear crime?

• why is society fascinated with media representations of crime?

• how effective and fair is the criminal justice system?

• what is the future of crime control?

Answering these questions sheds light not only on 'the problem of crime' and 'crime control', but on the nature of the times we live in.