Situational Crime Prevention Theory

Question 1

Prevention focus

Answer 1

Aims to stop crime in the first place. Measures are directed at specific forms of crime to manage, design or manipulate the environment to reduce opportunity for crime and increase perceived risks.

Question 2

Work influenced by two American developments

Answer 2

1) Defensible space.

2) Problem-oriented policing.

Question 3

Defensible space - Oscar Newman

Answer 3

4 key areas of design which encourage development of control and reduce crime:

1) Territoriality: defining areas to encourage residents to protect their area.
2) Surveillance: designing buildings so observation of territorial areas is easy and effective.
3) Image: designing buildings in ways that help avoid stigma and suggestion of vulnerability.
4) Environment: planning such as putting public housing next to safe zones.

Question 4

Design against crime

Answer 4

3 strategies:

• Natural surveillance: increasing perception that criminals can be seen.
• Natural access control: clearly differentiate between public and private spaces.
• Natural territorial reinforcement: create a sense of ownership of spaces.

Question 5

Problem-oriented policing - Herman Goldstein

Answer 5

Analyse why problems reoccur and devise practical solutions to underlying problems. For example placing park benches in areas with high crime so that there are witnesses around to “put off criminals”.

Question 6

Evaluation of Defensible Space Theory

Answer 6

• ve ignores problem of stigma as an areas reputation may have built over years. It is largely ignored.
• ve ignores importance of different policing tactics.
• ve implies we are defending the space from ‘others’, offenders are just as likely to occupy these spaces as non-offenders.