The study of criminal justice systems, components and responses to crime problems is significant to policy formation that prevents, treats and reduces crime. Research on these topics predominantly focuses on and takes place in urban metropolitan locations where agencies tend to be large and clustered.

In rural settings, the systems tasked with addressing issues of crime and justice face distinctive challenges and may even operate under different philosophies. Crime problems in rural locations might include those that are uniquely rural, such as livestock theft or other farm-related crime, as well as ‘ruralized’ traditional criminal behaviour. Furthermore, everything from the quantity and quality of staff, training, equipment and technologies can differ in rural justice-related agencies – such variations affect rural systems’ ability to address crime and residents’ ability to access justice.

Approaches and reforms used in an urban context are not always applicable to the rural. Informal operations and responses by justice system actors are common, particularly in remote locations where social density is high and population density is simultaneously low. Common themes in rural criminal justice studies include issues with resource availability and lack of staff, geographic isolation and accessibility, density of acquaintanceship amongst residents and criminal justice actors, the connectivity gap, conflicts between the people and the state and more.

The entries in this section examine – comparing and contrasting with urban areas – the availability, function and access to law enforcement, courts and corrections in rural communities. Both the advantages and disadvantages that the rural context provides will be discussed from an international lens that addresses rural communities across the Global North and South. It is important to explore the global commonalities amongst rural justice systems, as well as the ways in which physical and socio-cultural contexts affect these studies. The authors in this section bring a much-needed voice to those who respond to crime in rural communities and are involved in rural criminal justice systems.