Criminal Topic 5- Crime Prevention (soc)

Question 1

What is topic 5

Answer 1

Crime prevention

Question 2

What is the research in topic 5

Answer 2

Key:wilson and kelling supporting: Cohen and felson, zero tolerance policy in NY, brown/burrows, ernest-Jones

Question 3

Outline the key research by Wilson and kelling -the police and neighbourhood safety-broken windows

Answer 3

1. Policing in newark- describe a program carried out in 28 cities in New Jersey (incl newark), involved the state putting more officers on foot in the street, police chiefs didn’t like as reduced ability to respond to call outs/didn’t control where they were. Officers didn’t like as meant out in all weathers and hard work/seen as punishment. After 5 years, review showed no decrease in crime rates but residents felt more secure and believed that crime was reduced and didn’t stay at home behind locked doors. Officers on foot has more + attitudes towards citizens than patrol cars. Argue people perceive more crime when places are disorderly and fear being bothered by these people (panhandlers, drunks, addicts, prozies) and foot patrols help maintain order and they handle regulars with informal rules (drunks allowed to sit on stoops but not lie down, drinking only in side streets, bottles in paper bags). 2. Broken windows theory-if a window in a building is broken and not repaired, other windows in the building will be broken as no one cares, can lead to breakdown of community controls (adults stop scolding rowdy children so become more rowdy, families move out, unattached adults move in, fights occur, residents keep off streets and don’t challenge disorderly behaviour and may move away so more crime happens. 3 the way ahead: argue police need to adresss low level disorder before it escalates rather than wait for crime to happen and make arrests. Have been vigilatism e.g. guardian angels on NT subway and community watchmen who patrol neighbourhoods. ‘Police are key’, uniform makes them identifiable. Need to target neighbourhoods on tipping point where order is deteriorating it not unreclaimaboe so broken windows need to be fixed

Question 4

Cohen and felson- routine activity theory

Answer 4

3 necessary events for the commission of most crimes p: 1. A suitable target (things worth stealing, portable) 2. A motivated offender 3. The absence of a capable guardian (someone or something that may deter a crime). Rise in predatory crime in is after ww2 due to shift in routine away from home. Also VIVA- value, inertia of object, visibility of target, access

Question 5

Brown/burrows- cctv in town centres

Answer 5

Brown- crime report data gained for Birmingham, Newcastle and king lynn , comparing stats of antisocial/criminal behaviour before and after the intro of cctv in each town. Burglaries down by 56% in Newcastle and criminal damage by 34% . Burrows: cctv doesn’t reduce crime it displaces it to another place with no surveillance. Studied installation of cctv in 4 London Underground stations to reduce robbery and theft, in the year following the crime in the stations reduced by 70%, across underground as a whole 38% but in 15 stations closest to 4 W cctv, fall was only 25%

Question 6

Ernest-Jones - eyes on posters

Answer 6

Images of eyes can cause people to behave more cooperatively. Looked at effect of eye images on littering behaviour in a uni cafeteria. Displayed eye images associated and not associated with verbal messages to clear littler. Found 50% reduction in littering when used posters with eyes compared to those with flowers. Effect was independent if poster asked for litter clearing or an unrelated message (about only eating food bought on premises), even more reduction W eyes and congruent message. Support eyes images had more effect W fewer ppl. Deindividuation: more deviant acts when can’t be personally id’d

Question 7

Zero tolerance policy in NYC

Answer 7

Gunn&bratton- emerged out of broken windows theory, priority to crack down on minor offences to reduce serious crime. 1. Subway graffiti 84-90 a cleaning stating in the bronx created to remove all graffiti from subway carriages (youth may spend 3 days for it just be painted over) 2. Subway fare dodging 90-94 teams of up to 10 officers sent to subway station and arrest large numbers of fare dodgers at once- 1/7 had an outstanding warrant for another crime and 1/20 were carrying a weapon. 3. Quality of life crimes 94+, public drunks, public urinators or squeegee men dealt with. In 97, arrests for serious crimes went down by 25% following the policy, also taken by other police forces and crime fell in us for 5 years until 96. (A thought may be die to 7000 extra officers recruited, not only policy, may have led to resentment in stop and search, minorities targeted and other areas didn’t have same effect)

Question 8

App: at least one strategy for crime prevention

Answer 8

Secure home from burglary, get cctv, increase police in streets, 0 tolerance, eyes posters