Crime Prevention

• Situational crime prevention (SCP) Right realist approach

  •Victims should make themselves ‘harder targets’ by investing in more security and surveillance•Increase risk of criminal being caught and/or deterring criminality by reducing opportunity for crime–E.g. Car manufacturers’ investment in satellite technologies,disabling devices and computerised locking systems has reduced car theft in the UK .–CCTV  in shops, security guards increase likelihood of shoplifters being caught.
• Environmental crime prevention (ECP)

  Approach to crime prevention based on the idea that targeting anti-social behaviours can prevent more serious crimes
• Right Realism (Wilson & Kelling)


  • Crime is caused by anti-social behaviour like vandalism, graffiti, drugs
  • If these behaviours are tolerated, an 'anything goes' attitude develops (broken window theory)
  • This happens because there is little sense of community and informal/formal social control are weak
  • Police target more serious crime and do not focus on anti-social behaviour
• Public housing estates

  • Experience the most social problems
  • Are likely to be found around high-rise tower blocks
  • This happens because residents do not take responsibility for common areas like entrances, stairwells and lifts, allowing anti-social elements to take over
• Social and community crime prevention (left realist approach)

  •Situational CP & Environmental CP treat symptoms of crime and not cause•

  ‘Risk condition’s of crimes need to be addressed such as poverty, unemployment , poor housing etc esp. for young and some ethnic minority groups.’

  ••L.R argue that urban crime is rational response to lack of legitimate opportunities and the powerlessness deprived groups feel.
• Eval Of SCP

  •Felson and Clarke SCP displace rather then reduce crime . Criminal move to softer targets . E.g Chaiken et al crackdown on subway robberies in New York displaced them to the streets above•Use of surveillance may be a problem because camera operators may subscribe to similar stereotypes to police officers and end up focusing in youn males –labelling
• Eval Of SCP

  •Marxists SCP creates new type of social inequality , poor are disproportionately the main victims of crime because m/c can afford security etc•They ignore white collar crime ,corporate ad state crimes which are more costly•Marxists and left realist SCP ignore root cause of crime –poverty and inequality
• Wilson

  •Any sign of enviromental decline such as broken windows or grafitti must be tacked immediately otherwise neighberhood deterioration will follow•All public housing should not exceed three floors and all residents should be encouraged to take responsibility of communal space –protect from outsiders•Police should tackle all types of crime and disorder and not just serious crime –zero tolerance –famously adopted in New York to tackle subway graffiti , drug dealing and begging. Between 1993-1996 crime reduced critics argue this was due to decline in avaiablity of crack cocaine
• Government through policies should tackle crimes in inner city areas and on sink council estates:

  •Educational programmes –improving educational success in inner city areas , reducing exclusions and number of 16s year olds leaving schools with no qualifications•People are paid fair wage so not welfare dependant•Reduction in wealth and income inequalities –taxation•Invest in poorer urban communities to create jobs
• Eval Of LR


  •Crime is society’s fault rather then looking at individual choice•Fail to explain why most ppl living in poverty do not commit crime•R.R argue L.R make excuses for criminals , tighter control ,effective socialisation of children,more severe punishment should be ways to reduce crime•