Crimes that occur in rural areas are unique in character and impact, posing distinct challenges for rural communities. For example, rural peoples might express disbelief that ‘one of their own’ would engage in criminal offending; the tight-knit nature of rural communities can make it difficult for victims to report crime to the police; and issues with resourcing can lead to inequitable access to justice for rural peoples and groups when compared to their urban counterparts.

The emergent field of rural criminology has revealed an urban-centric bias at the centre of criminological enquiry that overlooks the unique issues experienced in rural locales. Compounding this, criminological research has assumed a primary focus on people belonging to dominant groups, with considerably less attention paid to those who dwell on the peripheries. When such groups have been considered, there has been the tendency to cast them as ‘deviant’ and ‘other’. The criminal justice experiences of people from minority groups are gaining increased attention in criminological research, but there is still a gap in terms of embracing a uniquely rural perspective.

Rural peoples and groups are diverse in composition and encompass all human actors residing in rural spaces – whether they are well-known members of the community or those who lie outside the mainstream. Whilst there is a considerable deal of diversity in rural settings, such areas are typically characterized by tight-knit communities that hold conservative values and subscribe to traditional ways of living.

This can pose various challenges for people who lie on the margins of society, with some peoples and groups (for example, Indigenous peoples, people who identify as LGBTIQA+, people with disabilities, lifestyle migrants, working tourists and youth) grappling with feelings of alienation, exclusion and isolation. Conversely, other non-dominant rural peoples and groups (for example, outlaw motorcycle gangs, rural enclaves, some Indigenous groups and youth sub-cultures) may deliberately reject conventional lifestyles and actively embrace non-conformity.

The entries in this section serve to challenge the urban hegemony within mainstream criminology and to shed light on the experiences and narratives of rural peoples and groups.