Criminal Psychology - Crime Prevention (Social) Flashcards
Background;
Wilson and Kelling (1982) produced a situational expansion of crime called the broken windows theory. This is the idea that disorderly neighbours lead to serious crimes. There are two types of disorder physical: graffiti, vandalism etc, and social disorder: gangs of teenagers, drugs, prostitution etc.
Bratton (1990) was the pioneer of zero tolerance policing. This strategy involved cracking down on minor crimes such as vandalism, loitering and littering in order to reduce offences in more serious crimes. Bratton’s directive was based on the broken windows theory – see below research by Wilson and Kelling.
Zimbardo (1969)
He arranged to have an automobile without license plates parked with its hood up on a street in the Bronx and a comparable automobile on a street in Palo Alto, California. The car in the Bronx was attacked by “vandals” within ten minutes of its “abandonment.” Within twenty-four hours, virtually everything of value had been removed. Then random destruction began—windows were smashed, parts torn off, upholstery ripped. Children began to use the car as a playground.
The car in Palo Alto sat untouched for more than a week. Then Zimbardo smashed part of it with a sledgehammer. Soon, passers-by were joining in. Within a few hours, the car had been turned upside down and utterly destroyed.
Key Research;
The Key research by Wilson and Kelling aimed to challenge existing beliefs about the fear of crime and the role of the police. They have also explore the ‘Broken windows theory’. They have not used a particular sample however the authors do make references to the Newark Foot patrol experiment called ‘Safe and clean neighbourhood programme’ The programme was designed to improve the quality of community life. They have also done a participant observation in which one of the researchers accompanied police officers and seen how they interacted with members of the community. Results 5 years later: Newark Foot patrols hadn’t reduced crime rates but had made people feel more secure and more favourable towards police. Conclusion: relationship between low-level and serious crime is understood using the broken windows metaphor.
Applications;
One strategy to prevent crime is CCTV. Cameras have been used in many places such as shops, town centres, public transport etc.
Strengths:
CCTV seems to be effective in reducing crime where large groups of people congregate.
It is also a system that can be easily put in place.
It can act as a deterrent as it increases the likelihood that the criminal will get caught.
CCTV provides sufficient evidence that can be used in a court of law to accurately convict someone.
Weakness:
Blind spots means that criminals can work around them to avoid being seen.
CCTV can be damaged to avoid being caught.
Can be expensive, especially high quality cameras.
CCTV with poor quality can often be difficult to identify criminals.
Other crime prevention techniques;
Target Hardening: which makes the crime more difficult to commit, such as fixing immobilisers on cars, a secure lock on a bike and installing screens to protect bus drivers from assault from passengers.
Stimulating conscience: putting up signs such as ‘shop lifting is stealing’ or ‘think twice, or pay the price’
Denying benefits: these strategies make the crime less worth it, for example ink filled security tags to items of clothing.
Facilitating compliance: to encourage people not to drop litter, bins should be provided, public loos should be easily accessible so that people do not urinate on the streets.
Neighbourhood watch; Encourage neighbours to watch out for any un-approved behaviour and report it.
