The politics of community crime

An exploration of the complex and often striking differences between national and local perspectives, particularly those of racial minorities, on crime prevention and the role that community residents should play in prevention programmes.

This text examines the implementation of a Justice Department anti-crime programme, entitled "Operation Weed and Seed", in two Seattle neighbourhoods between 1993 and 1997.

It provides a comprehensive analysis of the struggle of the local residents to redefine the crime problem and their role in addressing that problem, and looks at the intricacies of the struggle for control between community groups, policy makers and law enforcers over goals and strategies of crime prevention.