Crime: Crime Prevention Flashcards
Why may council housing areas be more prone to crime?
- Densely populated - more people to commit crime and easier to get away with crime
- Lack of green space - more likely to be inside and become bored
What did Newman find in crime rates in different areas?
Crime rates for graffiti and vandalism were higher in the high rise flats (Van Dyke) compared to walk up buildings (Brownsville)
What is defensible space?
Public space within communities that should be assigned to an individual or groups of residents living in the area.
Why may crime rates be higher in high rise flats commpared to walk up buildings?
- Security cameras and house alarms
- Well kept and maintained garden
- Paths/hedges/driveways give clear ownership
- More likely to let children play out
- Defensible space
What was Newman’s theory of defensible space to make crime less likely by design?
4 physical points
- Territory and subdivision eg. fences and hedges
- Natural surveillance eg. big windows
- Image - avoid stigma of social housing and personalise housing to give sense of ownership
- Milieu - buildings set around large open spaces attract more crime like vadalism compared to smaller, semi-private spaces like courtyard
What is Wilson and Kelling’s Broken Window Theory?
- Disorder arises when people fear crime
- When people fear crime, they stay inside and avoid contact so they don’t form communities with neighbours
- Don’t challenge minor crime
- Suggests the owner doesn’t care about a property if not fixed
How did Zimbardo’s study emphasise the Broken Windows Theory?
- Bronx, NY - high crime rates
- Put an unvadalised car in the middle of the Bronx as well as Palo Alto, California (affluent area)
- Vandalised in the Bronx but left alone in California
- But the car was then vandalised in California after Zimbardo himself vandalised the car
What is a zero tolerance policy?
Shouldn’t let people get away with minor crime eg. vandalism, loitering, and littering
What were Bratton’s findings on a zero tolerance policy?
Stopping small crime led to preventing bigger crime - reduced crime by 37% in 3 years
What are potential problems with a zero tolerance policy?
- Certain groups may feel discriminated, especially ethnic minorities who are more likely to be accused of crime due to prejudices
- Citizens may resent the police and find them intrusive
- No causal relationship established
What are other problems with the background?
- Socially sensitive to characterise certain areas as less affluent and more prone to crime
- Puts pressure on the police to expect more patrol officers to prevent minor crime
- Reductionist to only take into account social factors
What was the aim of Wilson and Kelling’s key research?
To challenge existing beliefs about the fear of crim and the role of the police
What is the sample of Wilson and Kelling’s key research?
- Does not use a particular sample - discussion piece
- Authors do make reference to the Newark Foot Patrol Experiment
What was the Newark Foot Patrol Experiment?
- New Jersey, USA
- Newark took part in an initiative called the ‘Safe and Clean Neighbourhoods Program’ in the 1970s
- Designed to improve the quality of community life
What is the design and procedure of Wilson and Kelling’s key research?
- Not an experiment
- Newark as a case study
- Could be considered a naturalistic participant observation of police officers
- Kelling accompanied different officiers on foot patrol over many hours
- Observed their interactions with members of the community throughout the neighbourhoods in Newark
What were the results of the Newark Foot Patrol Experiment?
- Existing attitudes towards foot patrol were negative
- Police chiefs felt it reduced the mobility of officers
- Officers saw it as a punishment
- 5 year evaluation of the programme found the increase in foot patrols did not reduce crime rates
- However, residents reported feeling as though crime had been reduced
- Foot patrol officers improved relations with the community
- Informal rules established to keep order
- Also believed that police vehicles was a physical and mental barrier to engaging with members of the community and having their presence felt
How did Wilson and Kelling’s key research relate to the Broken Windows Metaphor?
- Disorder and crime are closely linked
- Small instances of ‘no one caring’ can breed more serious crime
- The elderly are particularly affected by community breakdown - most vulneralbe and least likely to be able to move out of neighbourhood that has fallen into decay
What are implications for the role of police from Wilson and Kelling’s key research?
- Caution against informal rules and decriminalising low level criminal behaviour - zero tolerance policy
- Appropriate selection, training, and supervision of officers to prevent discrimination
- Organised citizen patrols have an important role
- Police should identify those neighbourhoods at a tipping point
- Police must keep order as well as preventing crime
What are the two main conclusions from Wilson and Kelling’s key research?
- Relationship between low level and serious crime can be understood using the broken metaphor
- Public order should be created and maintained collaboratively by police and the community
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What are some application strategies to prevent crime?
- More foot patrol police
- CCTV
- Fix things when they are broken
- Denying the benefits
- More outdoor space
- Target hardening
- Zero tolerance policy
- Neighbourhood watch
- Stimulating conscience
- Facilitating compliance
Why is CCTV effective?
- Easy to put into place
- Deterrent
- Used in court
However: - Blind spots
- Can be damaged
- Can be expensive
What is an example of denying the benefits?
Ink in security tags
What is target hardening?
Make it harder to obtain the target eg. bike locks
Why is neighbourhood watch effective in preventing crime?
- Increases surveillance
- Builds on defensible space theroy by Newman
- Community stick together
