Insecure Societies: Delinquency in Troubled Times

In the latter part of the twentieth century, Western European Societies have become increasingly aware of crime and disorder. Pressures created by social ills and disadvantage - youth unemployment, family break-down, drug and alcohol abuse, homelessness, mass consumer values, failures in urban planning and housing policy have greatly increased the potential for crime and generated feelings of insecurity in our societies. This study is an examination of some of the strategies designed to prevent and control delinquent behaviour in Berlin, the Netherlands, Denmark, France and England in the hope of finding elements of solution to this problem of our times.