This chapter has been written by Susan McVie, a professor of criminology at Edinburgh University. She reviews trends and patterns of crime in Scotland, in the light of policies on crime control and how Scotland is governed. In particular, the chapter:

• reviews how criminal justice policy in Scotland has evolved in the context of other historical developments.
• examines key changes in the governance of criminal justice and penal policy, and outlines the role and structure of Scotland’s key crime control institutions.
• explores the range of data sources used to measure crime and map out Scotland’s crime problem at a national level.
• studies two forms of crime in Scotland: crimes of dishonesty and non-sexual crimes of violence, paying close attention to trends and patterns of change over time, the geographical spread of these crime types and how we compare internationally.

The chapter concludes with some tentative speculations about the future of crime, law and order, and what it means for Scottish society.