Assessing the state of knowledge on ‘social dimensions of public policies and their impact on crime’ is one aspect of a reflection on crime prevention and public policies. Crime prevention is embedded in various traditions, socio-legal contexts and socio-economic backgrounds. Therefore we need a preliminary assessment of the crime dynamics and socio-economic situations in Europe. To draw this portrait, considering the states as units, we will first look at the crime dynamics during the last decades. We will then compare the countries in terms of crime levels and socio economic situations. It would have been better to compare crime dynamics and socio-economic evolutions but it is difficult due to the lack of comparative data. By the same token, the state level is not necessarily the best unit, and we will try to provide in a later comparison involving, at least for the biggest countries, infra-national units
