Brings together the major findings of 11 projects funded under the "Crime and the Criminal Justice System Initiative" by the Economic and Social Research Council in the mid-1980s.

Criminal justice policy in Britain since 1945, Anthony Bottoms and Simon Stevenson; crime, community and conflict - the multi-agency approach, Geoffrey Pearson, et al; discourse and decision-making in Scottish prisons, Michael Adler and Brian Longhurst; security, control and humane containment in the prison system, Roy King and Kathleen McDermott; researching the discretions to charge and to procecute, Roger Leng, et al; ethnic minorities, crime and criminal justice - a study of a provincial city, Tony Jefferson, et al; talking about policing, Rod Morgan; crime and criminal justice in the media, Philip Schlesinger and Howard Tumber; women's criminal careers, Pat Carlen; the victims of fraud, Michael Levi and Andrew Pithouse; it's not what you do but the way that you do it, Doreen McBarnet.