Ten percent of the world's population lives on islands, but until now the place and space characteristics of islands in criminological theory have not been deeply considered. This book moves beyond the question of whether islands have more, or less, crime than other places, and instead addresses issues of how, and by whom, crime is defined in island settings, which crimes are policed and visible, and who is subject to regulation. These questions are informed by 'the politics of place and belonging' and the distinctive social networks and normative structures of island communities.

John Scott is Professor and Head of the School of Justice at Queensland University of Technology.

Zoe Staines is an ARC DECRA Senior Research Fellow in the School of Social Science at The University of Queensland.