Situational Crime Prevention, Lecture notes of Criminal Justice

Download Situational Crime Prevention and more Lecture notes Criminal Justice in PDF only on Docsity! 1 Situational Crime Prevention Strategies Prof (Dr) G S Bajpai Chairperson, Centre for Criminal Justice Administration National Law Institute University Bhopal 2 Crime Prevention Intervening in the causal chain to prevent crime from occurring at all 5 Situational crime prevention (SCP) 1. Primary crime prevention. 2. The art and science of reducing opportunities for crime 3. Based on new crime theories: ◦ Rational choice ◦ Routine activity SCP seeks to influence the offender’s decision or ability to commit crimes at particular Places and times by way of particularly designed measures. 7 Focus of New Crime Theories  Crime, not criminality  Events, not dispositions  Near, not distant causes of crime  How crime occurs, not why it happens  Situational and opportunity factors Reducing Opportunity  Reducing or avoiding provocations that may tempt or incite offenders into criminal acts  Removing excuses that offenders may use to “rationalize” or justify their actions. Reducing Opportunity Opportunity for crime can be reduced directly & indirectly: (i) Directly: “organizing” the immediate physical environment (e.g., target hardening, access control, target removal) (ii) Indirectly: “organizing” people to foster or reinforce their individual and collective behaviour to minimize their vulnerability to crime (e.g., Neighbourhood Watch)  SCP involves the management, design, or manipulation of the immediate physical environment  Primary objective: reduce the opportunity for criminal activity  Opportunity for reducing crime can be pursued by: (i) “organizing” the immediate physical environment or (ii) organizing individuals (e.g., Neighbourhood Watch) 15 Increase the Effort  Harden Targets  Control Access  Screen Exits  Deflect Offenders  Control Tools/Weapons 16 Increase the Risks  Extend guardianship  Assist natural surveillance  Reduce Anonymity  Utilize place managers  Strengthen formal surveillance 17 Reduce the Rewards  Conceal targets  Remove targets  Identify property  Disrupt markets  Deny benefits Broken Windows Theory  Minor incivilities, if unchecked and uncontrolled, will promote more serious crimes  ‘Incivilities’ act as the catalyst: they represent signs of disorder and signify that 'no one cares', that the environment is ‘uncontrolled and uncontrollable’  Solution: stop and reverse the cycle of decline in its earliest stages by a focus on ‘order maintenance’ and aggressive policing of incivilities and other signs of crime. Problem oriented policing (POP) http://www.popcenter.org ee 22 Online Exercise Complete the 25 Techniques Module at http://www.popcenter.org/25techniques.htm 25 POP vs. SCP - DIFFERENCES SCP POP Origins: Crime theory Origins: Police management theory Focus: Crime and disorder problems Focus: Police and community problems Implemented by an agency with a crime or disorder problem Implemented by police Well-evaluated Widely implemented 26 Importance of the 25 Techniques  Help to systematize our knowledge  Provides a stimulus for research  The techniques may overlap - Increasing efforts can also increase risks  Some preventive measures can serve more than one purpose  Best used to help further thinking at the Response phase of the SARA process 27 Limitations Not all techniques are equally suitable for all types of crimes. For example: ◦ Removing excuses may be most effective for dealing with “everyday” crimes ◦ Reducing provocations may be most effective in closed environments 30 Exercise 3  In an effort to maximize effectiveness, try to match each of the 25 techniques to a specific crime or disorder problem.  Explain your rationale. 31 Online/Group Exercise  Using the 25 Techniques, break into groups and develop two crime prevention techniques from each of the five categories (a total of 10) for one of the following crime problems: ◦ Drunk driving ◦ Assaults at public place ◦ Robbery ◦ Delinquency ◦ Shoplifting ◦ Disorderly youth at public place ◦ Theft of vehicles ◦ Street prostitution ◦