The key role of "places"—very small areas such as a street corner, an address, a building or street segment—in the study of crime is explored in 15 papers by criminologists. Particular emphasis is given to "hot spots" of criminality, the geographic distribution of crime places, and the new technology of computer mapping of crime.

The chapters are grouped into four main themes: theory, research, applications, and methods. Lawrence Sherman presents a broad outline of how the study of crime at specific places can be developed and how it might influence public policy. Marcus Felson examines people's motivation to intervene and prevent crimes at certain places. Geoffrey Barnes discusses the displacement of crime. John Eck develops a general model of the geography of illicit drug markets. William Spelman examines the criminal careers of public places. Michael Maltz describes life-course mapping. Richard and Carolyn Black map liquor-related crimes. Nadera S. Kevorkian finds place to be an important factor in people's fear of crime. Lorraine Green provides evidence that a place-based approach can strengthen prevention programs. D. Kim Rossmo shows how crime place theory and research can aid practical crime investigation. Michael Buerger et al. stress the need to clearly define the boundaries of crime places. David Weisburd and Lorraine Green illustrate the difficulties of measurement displacement. Dennis Rosenbaum and Paul Lavrakas also highlight the weaknesses of present data on place. Tom McEwen and Faye Taxman show how computer mapping of crime places has been applied by police agencies.