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There are two myths about crime. In one, the criminal act is a selfish choice, and tough punishment the only solution. In the other, the system is at fault, and perpetrators will change only when society reforms. Both these narratives are wrong.

Interweaving conversations and stories of crime with findings from the latest research, Tom Gash dispels the myths that inform our views of crime, from the widespread misconception that poverty causes crime, to the belief that tough sentencing reduces it. He examines the origins of criminal behaviour, the ebb and flow of crime across the last century, and the effectiveness of various government crack-downs - and in doing so reveals that crime is both less rational and much easier to reduce than many believe. Can we suspend our knee-jerk reactions, let go of cherished myths and embrace the truth about crime? Crime is mostly opportunistic, and the best way to reduce it is to lessen the opportunities for committing crimes. Gash provides some compelling evidence in favour of this view ... Accessible yet well-referenced ... Gash mentions many cardinal facts that are often missed altogether, or whose significance is insufficiently appreciated. -- Theodore Dalrymple * The Times * Serious, but so startling that it is hugely readable, too. * James McConnachie, The Times Books of the Year * An arresting take on law-breaking ... At once detailed and readable, Criminal shows crime is as complicated as most kinds of human behaviour. -- Andrew Neather * Evening Standard * Rigorously analytical -- Dominic Lawson * Sunday Times * A richly researched, supremely sane discussion of the causes of and ways of preventing crime ... Gash's important book may well change your attitude to criminality and the justice system -- PD Smith * Guardian * Tom Gash takes eleven myths favoured by the right or left and does an effective job in demolishing them. By the end you might be persuaded that we don't need more bobbies on the beat or that crime, despite shocking headlines, isn't rising -- Robbie Millen * The Times *

Criminal