Forget Broken Windows: Think "Busy Streets"
"Neighborhoods struggling with physical decline and high crime often
become safer simply when local residents work together to fix up their
neighborhood.
...Research from cities across the United States shows how small changes to
urban environments—like planting flowers or adding benches—reduce
violence.
The result is an emerging crime prevention theory we call 'busy streets.'
Busy streets flips the logic of the broken windows theory—a controversial criminological approach to public safety—on
its head. Broken windows defenders see urban disorder in U.S.
cities—graffiti, litter, actual broken windows, and the like—as a
catalyst of antisocial behavior. So they direct police to crack down on minor offenses like vandalism, turnstile jumping, and public drinking.
Proponents
of busy streets theory, on the other hand, believe it’s better for
neighborhoods to clean up and maintain their own city streets."
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Showing posts with label crime prevention. Show all posts
Showing posts with label crime prevention. Show all posts
Does Police Immunity from Wrongful Arrests Really Deter Crime?
"In the wake of ongoing attention to police misconduct, a new economic study considers the cost of granting full immunity to officers for wrongful arrests and detention of innocent people, instead proposing a model of 'qualified immunity.'
According to the paper forthcoming in Economic Inquiry, many police jurisdictions grant officers immunity from penalties for these errors under the belief that harsh discipline would cause them to become “timid” during encounters with suspects, and potentially weaken law enforcement efforts. However, economists have long argued that wrongful arrests also lower the 'opportunity cost” of committing a crime.'"
"In the wake of ongoing attention to police misconduct, a new economic study considers the cost of granting full immunity to officers for wrongful arrests and detention of innocent people, instead proposing a model of 'qualified immunity.'
According to the paper forthcoming in Economic Inquiry, many police jurisdictions grant officers immunity from penalties for these errors under the belief that harsh discipline would cause them to become “timid” during encounters with suspects, and potentially weaken law enforcement efforts. However, economists have long argued that wrongful arrests also lower the 'opportunity cost” of committing a crime.'"
4th International Report on Crime Prevention and Community Safety
"The fourth edition of the International Report is concerned with the overarching theme of the movement of people and how cities, their new arrivals, and existing residents are adapting to this increasingly pressing global phenomenon. As always, the Report begins with a review of trends in crime and violence internationally, and in the practice of crime prevention. Four separate chapters look in more detail at issues which have significant impacts especially at the local level in all parts of the world, and at how cities in particular are responding. They examine the rapidly expanding migration of people - across borders and regions, and within countries - to cities and urban areas; the migration of indigenous peoples to urban areas; the continuing issue of human trafficking and its prevention; and the persistent and troubling problem of intimate partner violence against women. Migration and trafficking are all global problems with strong local impacts, and often closely linked."
"The fourth edition of the International Report is concerned with the overarching theme of the movement of people and how cities, their new arrivals, and existing residents are adapting to this increasingly pressing global phenomenon. As always, the Report begins with a review of trends in crime and violence internationally, and in the practice of crime prevention. Four separate chapters look in more detail at issues which have significant impacts especially at the local level in all parts of the world, and at how cities in particular are responding. They examine the rapidly expanding migration of people - across borders and regions, and within countries - to cities and urban areas; the migration of indigenous peoples to urban areas; the continuing issue of human trafficking and its prevention; and the persistent and troubling problem of intimate partner violence against women. Migration and trafficking are all global problems with strong local impacts, and often closely linked."
The Death of Jill Meagher: Crime and Punishment on Social Media
"In this paper we analyse the kidnapping, rape and murder of Jill Meagher as a case study to highlight a range of issues that emerge in relation to criminalisation, crime prevention and policing strategies on social media - issues that, in our opinion, require immediate and thorough theoretical engagement. An in-depth analysis of Jill Meagher's case and its newsworthiness in terrestrial media is a challenging task that is beyond the scope of this paper; rather, the focus for this particular paper is on the process of agenda-building, particularly via social media, and the impact of the social environment and the capacity of 'ordinary' citizens to influence the agenda-defining process. In addition, we outline other issues that emerged in the aftermath of this case, such as the depth of the target audience on social media, the threat of a 'trial by social media' and the place of social media in the context of pre-crime and surveillance debates. Through the analysis of research date we establish some preliminary findings and call for more audacious and critical engagement by criminologists and social scientists in addressing the challenges posed by new technologies."
View the Full Text
"In this paper we analyse the kidnapping, rape and murder of Jill Meagher as a case study to highlight a range of issues that emerge in relation to criminalisation, crime prevention and policing strategies on social media - issues that, in our opinion, require immediate and thorough theoretical engagement. An in-depth analysis of Jill Meagher's case and its newsworthiness in terrestrial media is a challenging task that is beyond the scope of this paper; rather, the focus for this particular paper is on the process of agenda-building, particularly via social media, and the impact of the social environment and the capacity of 'ordinary' citizens to influence the agenda-defining process. In addition, we outline other issues that emerged in the aftermath of this case, such as the depth of the target audience on social media, the threat of a 'trial by social media' and the place of social media in the context of pre-crime and surveillance debates. Through the analysis of research date we establish some preliminary findings and call for more audacious and critical engagement by criminologists and social scientists in addressing the challenges posed by new technologies."
View the Full Text
Cuts to Federal Funding Jeopardize Criminal Justice Initiatives Nationwide, Survey Finds
Vital federal funding that supports a variety of crime-prevention
strategies, treatment programs, and innovative initiatives in our
communities has decreased by 43 percent since 2010, according to a recent survey
conducted by the Vera Institute of Justice (Vera) and National Criminal
Justice Association (NCJA). The survey examines the impact those cuts
have on essential programs and staffing levels across the nation.
The second annual survey of state and local criminal justice practitioners was conducted to gain insight into the impact of these budget cuts, both those enacted as well as those still to come. The survey received more than 1,200 responses from all sectors of the criminal justice community, including law enforcement, the judicial system, corrections and community corrections, juvenile justice and prevention programs, victim assistance programs, and social services. It found that more than 75 percent of respondents reported funding cuts that led to workforce reductions, salary freezes, and drastic curtailing of the services they provide. For example, of the 346 law enforcement respondents, 75 percent saw a cut in funding between 1 and 25 percent. Because of these cuts, 64 percent reported reduction in staffing, 63 percent reported a reduction in services provided, and 58 percent reported pay freezes.
Read on...
The second annual survey of state and local criminal justice practitioners was conducted to gain insight into the impact of these budget cuts, both those enacted as well as those still to come. The survey received more than 1,200 responses from all sectors of the criminal justice community, including law enforcement, the judicial system, corrections and community corrections, juvenile justice and prevention programs, victim assistance programs, and social services. It found that more than 75 percent of respondents reported funding cuts that led to workforce reductions, salary freezes, and drastic curtailing of the services they provide. For example, of the 346 law enforcement respondents, 75 percent saw a cut in funding between 1 and 25 percent. Because of these cuts, 64 percent reported reduction in staffing, 63 percent reported a reduction in services provided, and 58 percent reported pay freezes.
Read on...
Cops Are Already Trying to Use Computers to Predict Crime -- It Ain't Gonna Work
Computers are predicting crimes for cops. What's next?
A small story popped up in the news this November -- "A unique collaboration between a University of California, Riverside sociologist and the Indio Police Department has produced a computer model that predicts, by census block group, where burglaries are likely to occur. ... The result is an 8 percent decline in thefts in the first nine months of 2013." The Indio police chief called the project the "wave of the future."
And by all appearances, it does appear to be on the menu for Federal law enforcement. The National Security Agency and its digital dragnets like PRISM -- one of the big Snowden leaks -- aren't just about immediate surveillance of criminal activity. That's only a limited use of the potential of a technology that creates profiles of a population, records all their significant behavior,
communications and who their friends are. A recent report from the FBI's Behavioral Threat Assessment Center (BTAC) on pre-planned massacres like the one at Virginia Tech discusses the benefits of "assessments of the risk of future violence while enabling the development and implementation of dynamic enabling the development and implementation of dynamic behavioral strategies to disrupt planned attacks." In other words, stopping pre-crime.
Read on...
A small story popped up in the news this November -- "A unique collaboration between a University of California, Riverside sociologist and the Indio Police Department has produced a computer model that predicts, by census block group, where burglaries are likely to occur. ... The result is an 8 percent decline in thefts in the first nine months of 2013." The Indio police chief called the project the "wave of the future."
And by all appearances, it does appear to be on the menu for Federal law enforcement. The National Security Agency and its digital dragnets like PRISM -- one of the big Snowden leaks -- aren't just about immediate surveillance of criminal activity. That's only a limited use of the potential of a technology that creates profiles of a population, records all their significant behavior,
communications and who their friends are. A recent report from the FBI's Behavioral Threat Assessment Center (BTAC) on pre-planned massacres like the one at Virginia Tech discusses the benefits of "assessments of the risk of future violence while enabling the development and implementation of dynamic enabling the development and implementation of dynamic behavioral strategies to disrupt planned attacks." In other words, stopping pre-crime.
Read on...
Chicago Installed Thousands of Cameras on its Rail Platforms. Crime Jumped by 21 Percent.
A couple of weeks ago, Chicago Transit Authority president Forrest Claypool announced that the agency would install high-definition surveillance cameras in 850 rail cars. There are already more than 3,600 cameras
throughout the rail system, in stations and on trains, and the CTA
spent a lot of money putting them there—approximately $26 million. “With
more cameras, we will be able to step up our efforts to fight crime on
the system,” said Claypool.
But the Chicago Sun-Times reports that rail-station crime has actually increased since the cameras were installed. The Sun-Times found
that, in 2012, the number of crimes reported at CTA rail stations
jumped by 21 percent year over year, and by 32 percent from 2010, prior
to when most of the cameras were installed. Many of these crimes involve
theft, drug use, vandalism, and fare evasion. (CTA spokesman Brian
Steele told me that much of the rise in crime is due to a 41 percent
jump in fare evasion.) Violent crime, however, is down by 30 percent,
while arrest rates are slightly up.
Given those stats, should we consider the CTA’s camera program a crime-fighting success or a money-wasting failure?
Read on....
Read on....
Can Street Violence Be Fought Like a Virus?
It’s that time of year again. With summer’s arrival, people flow into the
streets of America’s poorest urban neighborhoods. Temperatures rise and
tempers get shorter. Old beefs between corner drug crews start to
simmer again as warm weather brings more addicts to the neighborhood,
sparking territorial disputes over the swelling black market. Violence
can come to the city in many ways, but it comes, like clockwork, when
the weather warms up.
In the past month alone, Philadelphia has seen an 86 percent spike in homicides, bringing the year’s tally to 173. Nearly thirty people were shot in the city over Memorial Day weekend alone. In Chicago, a rash of summer gang violence has the city in a state of emergency, as its homicide total soars 50 percent over last year’s. Some in the press have labeled it “worse than Afghanistan.”
Read on...
In the past month alone, Philadelphia has seen an 86 percent spike in homicides, bringing the year’s tally to 173. Nearly thirty people were shot in the city over Memorial Day weekend alone. In Chicago, a rash of summer gang violence has the city in a state of emergency, as its homicide total soars 50 percent over last year’s. Some in the press have labeled it “worse than Afghanistan.”
Read on...
Canadians finally getting it: crime is on the decline
Canadians are finally getting the message that crime rates are falling.
New poll results show the public is abandoning a stubborn belief that crime is on the rise, bringing public opinion into alignment with a 20-year trend of declining crime rates.
The long-standing disconnect between public fears and reality has confounded criminologists and fuelled federal get-tough policies.
However, the Environics Focus Canada poll – obtained by The Globe and Mail and scheduled for release Thursday – shakes conventional wisdom even more by finding growing support for the use of crime prevention rather than punishment.
“This doesn’t mean that people want to lay off criminals,” said Keith Neuman, executive director of the Environics Institute. “But what people would like to see is more crime prevention. They feel that this is the right thing to do.”
Tony Doob, quoted in this story, is a prof at the Centre. Tom
Community-based violence prevention: An assessment of Pittsburgh's One Vision One Life Program
In 2006, more than 6 million individuals were victimized by violent
crimes in the United States. Although violence is below levels of the
early 1990s, it remains high. The extent of violence and its impact highlight
a critical need to develop and implement effective programs to
reduce violence and victimization. Communities have initiated a wide
range of such programs, and scholars have conducted numerous evaluations
of varying quality of them. Reviews have found certain types of
strategies and specific programs to be promising, but additional critical
evaluations are needed to plan violence-reduction programs.
This monograph assesses the implementation and impact of
the One Vision One Life violence-prevention strategy in Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania. In 2003, Pittsburgh witnessed a 49-percent increase in
homicides, prompting a “grassroots” creation and implementation of
the One Vision One Life antiviolence strategy. This initiative used a
problem-solving, data-driven model, including street-level intelligence,
to intervene in escalating disputes, and seeks to place youth in appropriate
social programs. Analysis of the program, which is modeled on
similar efforts elsewhere, can help inform other efforts to address urban
violence.
Read on...
Just a warning. This is an electronic monograph from the Rand Corp. It is a big file. Tom
crimes in the United States. Although violence is below levels of the
early 1990s, it remains high. The extent of violence and its impact highlight
a critical need to develop and implement effective programs to
reduce violence and victimization. Communities have initiated a wide
range of such programs, and scholars have conducted numerous evaluations
of varying quality of them. Reviews have found certain types of
strategies and specific programs to be promising, but additional critical
evaluations are needed to plan violence-reduction programs.
This monograph assesses the implementation and impact of
the One Vision One Life violence-prevention strategy in Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania. In 2003, Pittsburgh witnessed a 49-percent increase in
homicides, prompting a “grassroots” creation and implementation of
the One Vision One Life antiviolence strategy. This initiative used a
problem-solving, data-driven model, including street-level intelligence,
to intervene in escalating disputes, and seeks to place youth in appropriate
social programs. Analysis of the program, which is modeled on
similar efforts elsewhere, can help inform other efforts to address urban
violence.
Read on...
Just a warning. This is an electronic monograph from the Rand Corp. It is a big file. Tom
Public sector cuts: Rise in youth crime feared as key teams are reduced
Ministers told that councils will find it 'exceptionally difficult to maintain a basic youth offending team'
A teenager in a young offenders institution: a rise in youth crime is feared because of cuts to youth offending teams. Photograph: Mark
A teenager in a young offenders institution: a rise in youth crime is feared because of cuts to youth offending teams. Photograph: MarkA crime prevention project in Cornwall that has helped more than 960 young people since it started in 2003 is to close at the end of this month because its £185,000 funding from a government local area agreement is to end. The project, White Gold, a partnership between the police and Cornwall youth offending team (YOT), is an early casualty of funding cuts.
Nationally, ministers have been warned that funding reductions will mean that some of the 157 local authorities across England and Wales will find it "exceptionally difficult to maintain a basic youth offending team". Sandwell council in the West Midlands has placed the entire 80-strong YOT staff on its "at risk of redundancy register", as cuts of up to 30% in youth justice funding start to bite across England and Wales.
The national network of YOTs was set up to bring together the work of the police, probation, social services, education and others in tackling youth offending, with significant results in cutting crime, which council leaders now fear will rise.
iSchool Colloquium: Critical Reflections on the Growth of CCTV in the UK
The next talk in the iSchool series will feature guest speaker, Professor Clive Norris, from the Department of Sociological Studies, University of Sheffield, in the UK.
His talk will outline the growth of CCTV as the primary crime prevention strategy of successive governments, and consider the evaluation evidence as to its effectiveness as a means of crime prevention and detection. The talk will then reflect the implications of the shift from face to face policing to camera mediated policing strategies for our understanding of policing and social control.
Please join us on Wednesday, January 20th, at noon, in Room 728, 140 St. George Street, at the Faculty of Information, Claude Bissell building.
About Professor Clive Norris
Professor of Sociology and Head of Department
Department of Sociological Studies, University of Sheffield
For the last decade, his research has involved documenting and analysing the increased use of surveillance in contemporary society. In particular it has focused on the police use of informants, CCTV surveillance, and surveillance in criminal justice system. He has also played a central role in establishing Surveillance Studies as a specialist field of knowledge by building the infrastructure to create a viable sub-discipline. This has informed his work in setting up: a journal - Surveillance and Society; creating an academic community of scholars the through the Surveillance Studies Network; hosting a biennial conference (held in Sheffield 2004, 2006, 2008); being awarded (with others) an ESRC seminar series, and participating in range of international collaborations, UrbanEye, 2001-2004, (Technical University of Berlin); For Whom the Bell Curves, 2005-9, (University of Trondheim); The New Transparency 2008-14; (Kingston University, Ontario), Living in Surveillance Societies (COST – University of Edinburgh 2009 – 2013).
Bipartisan Crime Prevention Bill Takes Smart Approach to Juvenile Justice
Youth PROMISE Act Introduced in House and Senate on Same Day Sends a Strong Message, Says ACLU
WASHINGTON - February 13 - A bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced H.R.1064 and S. 435, identical House and Senate bills to fund prevention and intervention programs that are comprehensive, community-centered and evidence-based efforts to combat gangs and youth violence.
The Youth Prison, Reduction through Opportunities, Mentoring, Intervention, Support and Education Act, known as "Youth PROMISE," is sponsored by Representatives Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (D-VA) and Michael Castle (R-DE) as well as Senators Robert Casey (D-PA) and Olympia Snowe (R-ME). Although Representative Scott sponsored this bill in the House last year, today is the first time that this legislation has been introduced in the Senate.
Read on...
WASHINGTON - February 13 - A bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced H.R.1064 and S. 435, identical House and Senate bills to fund prevention and intervention programs that are comprehensive, community-centered and evidence-based efforts to combat gangs and youth violence.
The Youth Prison, Reduction through Opportunities, Mentoring, Intervention, Support and Education Act, known as "Youth PROMISE," is sponsored by Representatives Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (D-VA) and Michael Castle (R-DE) as well as Senators Robert Casey (D-PA) and Olympia Snowe (R-ME). Although Representative Scott sponsored this bill in the House last year, today is the first time that this legislation has been introduced in the Senate.
Read on...
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