Crime Prevention

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to enlighten and explore crime prevention in a holistic manner. The core objective of this paper is to explain different strategies adapted by the legislative authorities to prevent the criminal activities in the country. Nonetheless, the paper explores historic crime prevention approaches and compares it with the modern crime prevention strategies. In addition, the paper enlightens different approaches used in the traditional crime prevention practices, and explores the contemporary crime prevention tactics. This study analyzes the crime prevention approaches in order to provide an effective guideline to the government for refinement of its strategies regarding crime prevention. Moreover, the paper provides a platform for future studies and researches under the dimension of crime prevention.

Table of Contents

Introduction4

The History of Crime Prevention5

Contemporary Strategies Aimed at Crime Prevention7

Social Crime Prevention9

Situational Crime Prevention10

Youth Crime Prevention11

Communal Crime Prevention12

Conclusion12

References14

Crime Prevention

Introduction

Crime prevention viewed in its broadest sense, crime prevention, like, for example, the notion of social control, has been around as long as humans have sought to protect their property from threat and themselves from harm to their well-being. None the less, as a formal feature of modern crime control systems, it is more helpful to plot the rise of crime prevention since the latter decades of the twentieth century. In turn, it was during these decades that we also witnessed an ever increasing output of criminological writing and research aimed at classifying - largely for governmental purposes - the major types of crime prevention techniques and strategies and their seeming effectiveness or otherwise.

The international 'growth industry' and 'import-export' trade in practical advice and policy knowledge about crime prevention techniques and strategies (associated with 'evaluation' research) has witnessed the rise of several key definitions and typologies of crime prevention. In turn, these have had an uneven but important impact in changing policy and practice both in formal crime control systems and in the routine activities of citizens and their efforts to protect themselves prudentially. Crime prevention research is thus a striking example of what may be termed 'policy criminology' and the development of new governmental savoir arising out of social scientific inquiry and policy entrepreneurship. Arguably, the most influential means of classifying crime prevention is that based on the distinction between social (community based) and situational techniques and strategies of prevention.

The History of Crime Prevention

Traditional crime prevention can be defined as any preventative effort directed towards people who are not yet involved in crime. These efforts seek to make changes in the general social environment in order to reduce problems. While most primary prevention programs rely heavily on the general public for proper implementation, the formal criminal justice system also provides primary prevention through general deterrence, which seeks to prevent deviant behavior by enforcing laws against offenders. Next, secondary prevention emphasizes the identification of potential offenders and situations with a high potential for developing crime and/or delinquency. The biggest challenge for secondary prevention is the accurate prediction of at-risk individuals and situations. Secondary prevention shifts its predictions to analysis of ...