Drawing on a range of international case studies, this book offers a useful theoretical overview of key approaches to the subject of crime and community and considers the ways in which these have been applied in more practical settings.

Introduction 1. The meaning and uses of community 2. Community and Crime 3. Disorderly Communities 4. Regenerating Communities 5. Fractured Communities 6. Suspect and Profiled Communities 7. Policing Communities 8. The problem of community.

'Karen Evans's latest book, Community and the Problem of Crime, represents an excellent analytical and empirically-grounded guide to this highly contested and massively important area of social scientific inquiry. This challenging yet accessible monograph will become an invaluable "must-have" text for students of sociological criminology in particular. Evans makes significant contribution to our cumulative sociological knowledge of the crime-community "nexus".' - Gordon Hughes, Chair in Criminology, School of Social Sciences, Cardiff University, UK‘The concept "community" is much used and abused in studies of crime, disorder and crime prevention. The language of community is frequently deployed as cause, location, symptom and solution for all manner of social problems. Fortunately, at last there is a book which brings a splendid, constructively critical, perspective to bear on this many-faceted phenomenon, even engaging with the diverse and contrary tendencies of real communities - marginalisation, stigmatisation, privatisation, securitisation and militarisation – as they reshape the social contexts through which we move/in which we live. A refreshing and original read.’ Peter Squires, Professor of Criminology & Public Policy, University of Brighton, UK‘This terrific book provides an exploration of the paradoxes and contradictions of "community" as these relate to crime and social justice. It demonstrates how community is seen to be both a source of social problems and the solution to it, and how it is strategically applied in ways that incorporate and/or marginalise specific population groups. Providing a theoretically informed analysis of concrete cases, trends and issues, the book makes a wonderful contribution to critical appraisals of the dynamics of contemporary society. A vital resource.’ - Rob White, Professor of Criminology, University of Tasmania, Australia