ac3.2: environmental factors

Question 1

CPTED

Answer 1

• put forward by criminologist c.ray jeffrey
• crime results partly from opportunities presented by the physical environment
• we should be able to alter the environment to reduce crime
• we can reduce crime through open spaces with strong lighting to provide clear visibility and a lack of hiding spaces, low level bushes and trees

Question 2

positives

Answer 2

• alice coleman found it partially successful in london - reductions in crime were a result of environmental and policing changes
• brown and altman: designs helped to show the residents care and suggest watchfulness - this helps to promote safer residential settings
• research shows a higher crime rate in cities with high rise blocks as opposed to low level buildings
• in ohio, a CPTED partnership with police and housing management has resulted in a 12% decline in crime in the first 3 years

Question 3

negatives

Answer 3

• the CPTED principles suggest criminals operate in hidden places - this is not always true, e.g. graffiti and shoplifting
• crime may just be displaced rather than prevented
• it could be argued that these things aren’t going to actually stop crime, if the offender wants to commit the crime then they will

Question 4

gated lanes

Answer 4

• gates which can be placed at the entrance to rear alleyways to deter burglars from using them to gain unlawful access from the rear of houses
• gov regulations came into effect in 2006 giving local authorities power to install gates on public highways

Question 5

positives

Answer 5

• in monetary terms, it was concluded that the reductions in burglary’s generally exceeded the investment required to install and maintain them
• the gates do provide protection, residents say they have seen a reduction in crime since the gates were installed
• sidebottom (2017) found reduction in burglary and theft, but this usually came in package with other measures

Question 6

negatives

Answer 6

• it requires a large number of gates to be effective
• it costs about £4000 to put a gate at either end of an alley, this is a lot of money and could be better spent elsewhere - perhaps on rehab programmes or childcare centres
• does it prevent crime or just displace it?

Question 7

prison design - supermax prison

Answer 7

• the most secure levels of custody in the prison system
• the objective is to provide long term, segregated housing for inmates classified as the highest security risks in the prison system
• the supermax in florence, california holds about 420 of the most notorious inmates in america under high security

Question 8

positives

Answer 8

• no one has managed to escape from the supermax - it is clearly very secure
• kept for the most dangerous people in society - some would argue this is the best form of punishment

Question 9

negatives

Answer 9

prisoners are kept in their cells for 23 hours a day - some say this is bordering on torture, it goes against human rights. people often hallucinate and go insane, increasing the risk of mental health issues. does it really help?

Question 10

prison design - bastoy prison in norway

Answer 10

• a minimum security prison on bastoy island
• on a 2.6km squared island and holds 115 inmates
• even inmates who have committed serious crimes are trusted

Question 11

positives

Answer 11

• in norway in 2014, 4000 of 5 mil people in the country were in prison - making their incarceration rate 75 per 100,000 compared to 707 per 100,000 in the usa
• their reoffending rate is 20% compared to 63% in the uk

Question 12

negatives

Answer 12

many argue it doesn’t offer enough of a punishment, especially if it houses some highly dangerous offender

Question 13

prison design - panopticon prison

Answer 13

• the traditional prison design, such as in pentonville
• allows the observation of all prisoners without them knowing when they are being observed and not
• this is via a building with a tower in the centre, from which it is possible to see each cell holding a prisoner
• visibility is a trap

Question 14

positives

Answer 14

it was designed as a psychological trick - offenders could be watched at all times but don’t know if they are or not

Question 15

negatives

Answer 15

• the reoffending rate is 69%, higher than the uk average of 63% and over 3x the rate in bastoy
• the average annual cost of a prison place in england and wales is about £40,000, this can be up to £59,000 in category a prisons

Question 16

cctv

Answer 16

• stands for closed-circuit television
• closed-circuit means broadcasts are transmitted to a limited number of monitors
• commonly used to deter and detect criminal activity and record traffic infractions

Question 17

positives

Answer 17

• there are lots of cases where cctv was vital for solving it, e.g. sabina nessa, the london riots, jamie bulger
• college of policing review - CCTV can make small but statistically significant reductions in crime. overall crime reduced by 51% in car parks with CCTV. when 15 uk cities were analysed together, there was a 10% fall in violent crime
• the combined data from 4 studies shows a 23 reduction in crime on public transport

Question 18

negatives

Answer 18

• cctv can be blurry or broken, it can have blind spots and miss things - these would make it useless in criminal cases
• criminals can cover their faces to evade identification
• is it deterring crime or do people just move to places without cctv?