ABSTRACT
This chapter has explored the limitations of 'community' as an organising concept. It has considered the inherent exclusionary nature of community and the tendency of community to separate as well as to unite. While 'community' is held up as a positive social formation, this chapter uses case studies from the UK and abroad to demonstrate how the building of communities can produce barriers to progressive policy-making. The chapter focuses on the work of a number of Lessons, such as Lesson 1, The people have a legitimate claim to public resources, Lesson 2, let's start with social rather than criminal justice, Lesson 3, is not all communities are the same, Lesson 4, The importance of watching the watchers, Lesson5, other futures are possible. Finally, it has considered how post-conflict discourses of community might be framed and the possibilities this might introduce for crime prevention/community safety in the future.
