Topic 3.2 - Describe the contribution of agencies to achieving social control Flashcards
Environmental design
In what two ways can the built environment affect the level of crime?
- By influencing potential offenders , e.g presenting them with opportunities to commit crime
- By affecting people’s ability to exercise control over their surroundings
Defensible space
According to Oscar Newman, what is meant by ‘indefensible spaces’?
Spaces where crime is more likely to occur, in what he calls ‘confused’ areas of public space such as anonymous walkways and stairways. They belong to no-one, are cared for by no-one, and are observed by no-one
Give an example of an indefensible space found by Newman in his study.
In his study of high-rise blocks in New York, Newman found that 55% of all the crimes committed occurred in public spaces such as hallways, lifts, stairwells and lobbies, because no-one felt they ‘owned’ them
According to Newman, what is meant by ‘defensible spaces’?
Areas where there are clear boundaries so it is obvious who has the right to be there. Newman argues that defensible spaces have low crime rates because of four key features: territoriality, surveillance, a safe image, and a protected location
What is meant by ‘territoriality’?
Where the environment encourages a sense of ownership among residents - the feeling that it is their territory and they control it. Certain layouts also tell outsiders that particular areas are for the private use of residents. For example, cul-de-sacs project a ‘private’ image and encourage a sense of community
What is meant by ‘natural surveillance’?
Features of buildings such as easily-viewed entrance lobbies and street-level windows allow residents to identify and observe strangers. Likewise, cul-de-sacs allow residents to overlook each other’s homes. By contrast, high-rise blocks often have concealed entrances that allow offenders to come and go unseen
Why is a safe image important for a neighbourhood?
Buildings designs should give the impression of a state neighbourhood where residents look after each other. A negative image means the area will be stigmatized (negatively labelled) and target by offenders
What is the impact of a safe location?
Neighbourhoods located in the middle of a wider crime-free area are insulated from out the outside world by a ‘moat’ of safety
Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED)
According to C.R. Jeffery, what is the importance of the built environment in relation to crime?
Jeffery argued that the built environment can either create or deny opportunities to criminals. By altering this environment, therefore, we can reduce crime
Summarise the findings of Alice Coleman in her study of London.
She analysed 4,099 blocks of flats in two London boroughs. She concluded that the poor design of many blocks produced higher rates of crime and anti-social behaviour
What were the three features of blocks that Coleman thought encouraged crime?
Anonymity, lack of surveillance, and easy escape
What were Coleman’s three recommendations in relation to the built environment?
- No more blocks of flats should be built
- Each existing block should have its own garden or private space, so residents would look after it
- Overhead walkways should be removed because they obstruct surveillance
What were Coleman’s three recommendations in relation to the built environment?
- No more blocks of flats should be built
- Each existing block should have its own garden or private space, so residents would look after it
- Overhead walkways should be removed because they obstruct surveillance
Give three examples of how planners have attempted to ‘design crime out’.
- On the Lisson Green estate in West London, the removal of overhead walkways led to a 50% reduction in crime
- Some police forces now employ architectural liaison officers to ‘build in’ crime prevention features at the design stage for new buildings
- The ‘Secured by Design’ (SBD) kitemark scheme used by the building industry indicates that a new building meets crime prevention standards. Home Office research found a 30% lower burglary rate in SBD houses
Gated lanes: an example of CPTED
What are ‘gated lanes’ and why are they used?
They are lockable gates installed to prevent offenders gaining access to alleyways, such as those at the rear of many older terraced houses. They are used mainly to prevent burglaries, but may also stop fly-tipping, anti-social behaviour by youths congregating, dog fouling ETC
According to Sidebottom et al and his 43 studies, what are the seven reasons why gated lanes reduce burglary rates?
- They provide a physical barrier, thus increasing the effort required to commit
a crime - Residents taking responsibility for closing the gates increases guardianship
and surveillance - Gates increase residents’ sense of territoriality
- Offenders can no longer use the excuse that they thought it was public space
- Open alleys may suffer from the ‘broken windows’ problem of disorderly,
uncared-for space that invites crime. Gating indicates it is a cared-for space
that doesn’t tolerate crime - Gating may reduce the rewards of crime. For example, it will be difficult to
steal large objects if the offender has to climb over tall gates with the items - Cost may be an issue for residents in some areas, although Sidebottom et al found that the average cost was £728 per gate and that the average benefit was over twice the cost (£2.19 for every £1 spent
Limitations
Summarise four limitations of gated lanes as a crime prevention strategy.
- While they may decrease criminals entering from outside, they don’t work against criminals who live within the gated area
- In areas where neighbours don’t know or don’t trust each other, residents may be less likely to get together to install gates, or may not take responsibility for them
- There may be difficulties installing gates if the alley is a public right of way, or if it has several owners all of whom will need to agree. There needs to be full consultation with residents to win their commitment to the scheme
- Gated lanes can restrict access for emergency services and refuse collectors, which can be a problem
CPTED and theory
Explain three ways in which CPTED links to right realist theories and ideas.
- Situational crime prevention (SCP) - Like SCP, CPTED involves ‘target hardening’ by changing the physical environment to make it harder to commit crime: e.g. barriers to prevent vehicle access to a neighbourhood will make getaways harder
- Felson’s routine activity theory - Emphasises the importance of a ‘capable guardian’ protecting potential crime targets. In CPTED, mutual surveillance by neighbours acts as a guardian
- Rational choice theory - CPTED sees offenders acting rationally. For example, if intruders fear they will be challenged by residents, they will be more likely to stay away from the area
Describe five criticisms of CPTED in reducing crime.
- CPTED focuses on defence from outsiders who come into the area to offend, but insiders commit crime too e.g. domestic violence
- CPTED cannot prevent offences that don’t involve physical intrusion into a neighbourhood, such as cybercrime, fraud, and white collar and corporate crime
- Cul-de-sacs might be defensible spaces - but they might not actually be defended. For example, if the residents are all out to work all day, there is no surveillance
- Some housing estates have high crime rates because of councils’ housing allocation policies rather than because of how they are designed. Some councils place ‘problem families’ with a history of anti-social behaviour on ‘sink’ estates
- An area’s reputation rather than its design may cause a high crime rate. If police regard a particular estate as crime-ridden, they will patrol it more, leading to more arrests, a higher recorded crime rate and an even worse reputation
Prison design: the Panopticon
Briefly explain how the Panopticon prison design can produce self-surveillance.
In the Panopticon, prisoners’ cells are visible to guards from a central viewing point such as a watchtower. However, though the guards can see the prisoners, the prisoners cannot seen the guards and so they do not know whether or not they are being watched at any given moment. Therefore, not knowing if they are being watched, the prisoners must constantly behave as if they are, just in case. In this way, surveillance turns into self-surveillance. The guards have no need to discipline the prisoners; the prisoners discipline themselves
Surveillance theory
How might Foucault’s surveillance theory apply in today’s society?
Foucault’s surveillance theory argues that in today’s society, self-surveillance has become an important way of achieving social control. We know that we might be being watched - for example by CCTV cameras - so we monitor and control our behaviour ourselves
Behavioural tactics
Who introduced ASBOs (Anti-social Behaviour Orders)?
Tony Blair’s New Labour government in 1998
