To come to terms with crime and violence in South Africa, the contributors to this volume suggest that we must go beyond the masks of both the criminal and society itself - the hidden social processes that give rise to crime and violence. They indicate that crime is imbedded in the social structure, in the integration of families and communities, in the breakdown of authority and trust, and in inequalities that breed hostility and disempowerment. These are linked to recent developments in the field of social capital, and to links between violence, economic inequality and the breakdown of social cohesion
