ABSTRACT
Chapter 4 presents the research findings from the empirical component of this study. The original qualitative data offers an alternative view of crime and harm than the one enthusiastically articulated by the ‘crime decline’ discourse. The chapter provides a glimpse into experiential lived realities of individuals who find themselves in uncomfortable proximity to the worst effects of our current social arrangements. It is revealed that despite claims of statistical reductions in crime, everyday life for many participants continues to be characterised by various forms of crime, non-criminalised harms and almost perpetual cycles of victimisation. The findings presented here therefore serve as an important corrective to the ‘crime decline’ discourse. Moreover, with a view towards developing a new theoretical framework capable of explaining why the ‘crime decline’ discourse has amassed such a large and accepting audience, the chapter begins to lay the empirical foundation upon which the author’s theory of the dream myth is subsequently built in Chapter 6.
