First published in 1980, Mugging as a Social Problem sets out to remedy the deficiency of serious research on mugging. The work is based on a random sample of over 1000 muggings which occurred within the Metropolitan Police District in the mid-1970s, and the author analyses the results not only in absolute and comparative terms but also against a background of social determinants such as ecology, deprivation and race. Dr. Pratt’s long-term solution is not novel: an all-round improvement in housing, employment and social conditions will eventually remove the circumstances which create muggers; but there are steps, he suggests, which can be taken in the short term to stop mugging by reducing opportunity. However, before any effective measures can be introduced, more facts are needed about the background, motives and methods of the typical mugger: it is just such facts that this study sets out to provide. This book will be of interest to students of sociology, law, urban studies and criminology.
