This book offers an introduction to crime and social policy with a focus on inequality. It explores the relationship between material circumstance and crime and offers explanations for why inequality is often linked to offending behaviour and the evidence of such relationships. It provides an in-depth and critical analysis of social security and labour market policy and the management and punishment of offenders.The new edition offers a fully updated and expanded account of crime and inequality in Coalition Britain. Grover considers the impact of austerity and the current state of youth unemployment, analyses recent measures such as the Child Poverty Act 2010, the New Deal for Young People and changes in Working Tax Credit and Housing Benefit and draws on topical case studies such as the London riots. Cutting-edge debates in social policy and academic research are also explained and considered.Written by an expert in the field, this book is essential reading for courses on understanding crime and criminality, crime and social policy, crime and deviance and youth justice.