Crime Prevention Policies

How do Right Realists believe we should tackle crime?

• Situational Crime Prevention

• Environmental Crime Prevention

According to Right Realists, what is Situational Crime Prevention?

Strategies that increase the risk and reduce the opportunities for crime

• based on rational choice theory - offenders weigh up risks and rewards

• e.g. target-hardening, CCTV, alarms, surveillance, target removal, ‘designing out’ crime

New York - Situational Crime Prevention

Toilet sinks in New York bus terminals were changed to deter loitering, drug use and washing of clothes by the homeless

Strengths of Situational Crime Prevention

• seen as practical and cost-effective for reducing specific types of crime

Criticisms of Situational Crime Prevention

• doesn’t tackle root causes (poverty, inequality, socialisation)

• criticised for causing displacement e.g. Spatial, Temporal

According to Right Realists, what is Environmental Crime Prevention?

Addresses the physical conditions that might encourage deviance - signs of disorder and to be tackled

• signs of disorder encourage further crime as levels of informal social control break down

• e.g. zero-tolerance policing, rapid repair of vandalism, and visible policing

New York - Environmental Crime Prevention

Subway trains were not allowed to depart before graffiti was removed

• transit police began enforcing a ban on turnstile jumping at rail stations and there was a crackdown on ‘squeegee men’

Strengths of Environmental Crime Prevention

• Evidence where policies in New York were successful - 50% reduction in homicides

Criticisms of Environmental Crime Prevention

• accused of targeting marginalised groups (e.g. Operation Swamp in Brixton 1981) causing a breakdown in relations with the police

• over-policing of minor offences

How do Left Realists believe we should tackle crime?

Social & Community Crime Prevention

• aims to address social and economic causes of crime through long-term strategies such as improving education, housing, youth support, and employment

• often involves early intervention and community partnerships and collaboration

The Perry Pre-School Project - Social & Community Crime Prevention

• well-qualified teachers (master degrees)

• good student, teacher ratio

• maths, literacy

• control group - 50% lower crime rate

Those who attended the Perry Pre-School projects when research in adulthood showed: fewer arrests, higher levels of education and better employment outcomes

Criticisms of Social & Community Crime Prevention

• solutions tend to be expensive and long-term - the positive effects may not be seen for years