This book offers a useful theoretical overview of key approaches to the subject of crime and community and considers the ways in which these have been applied in more practical settings. Written by an expert in the field and drawing on a range of international case studies from Europe, North America, Australia and Asia, this book explores both why and how crime and community have been linked and the implications of their relationship within criminology and crime prevention policy. Topics covered in the book include: the different crime prevention paradigms which have been utilized in the ‘fight against crime’ the turn to community in crime prevention policy, which took place during the 1980s in the UK and US, and its subsequent development the theoretical and ideological underpinnings to crime prevention work in and with different communities the significance and impact of fear of crime on crime prevention policy different institutional responses to working with community in crime prevention and community safety the ways in which the experiences of the UK and US have been translated into the European context a comparison between traditional western responses to the growing interest in restorative and community-based approaches in other regions. The new edition has been fully revised and updated to include discussion of the rise of populist politics and the centrality of ‘crime’ and ‘disorder’ as a divisive element used in populist political rhetoric; the politics of austerity and the management of crises – economic, environmental and COVID-19 and the subsequent lockdowns; the impact of Black Lives Matter, MeToo and Extinction Rebellion; the significance of social media and virtual community; the further erosion of civil liberties and the right to protest; and racialized US policing practices and police-related deaths. This book offers essential reading for students taking courses on crime and community, crime prevention and community safety and community corrections.

Proactive policing, as a strategic approach used by police agencies to prevent crime, is a relatively new phenomenon in the United States. It developed from a crisis in confidence in policing that began to emerge in the 1960s because of social unrest, rising crime rates, and growing skepticism regarding the effectiveness of standard approaches to policing. In response, beginning in the 1980s and 1990s, innovative police practices and policies that took a more proactive approach began to develop. This report uses the term "proactive policing" to refer to all policing strategies that have as one of their goals the prevention or reduction of crime and disorder and that are not reactive in terms of focusing primarily on uncovering ongoing crime or on investigating or responding to crimes once they have occurred. Proactive policing is distinguished from the everyday decisions of police officers to be proactive in specific situations and instead refers to a strategic decision by police agencies to use proactive police responses in a programmatic way to reduce crime. Today, proactive policing strategies are used widely in the United States. They are not isolated programs used by a select group of agencies but rather a set of ideas that have spread across the landscape of policing. Proactive Policing reviews the evidence and discusses the data and methodological gaps on: (1) the effects of different forms of proactive policing on crime; (2) whether they are applied in a discriminatory manner; (3) whether they are being used in a legal fashion; and (4) community reaction. This report offers a comprehensive evaluation of proactive policing that includes not only its crime prevention impacts but also its broader implications for justice and U.S. communities.

"[This book provides] an intellectual history that traces how varying images of community have evolved over time and influenced criminological thinking and criminal justice policy. The authors outline the major ideas that have shaped the development of theory, research, and policy in the area of communities and crime. Each chapter examines the problem of the community through a defining critical or theoretical lens: the community as social disorganization; as a system of associations; as a symptom of larger structural forces; as a result of criminal subcultures; as a broken window; as crime opportunity; and as a site of resilience. Focusing on these changing images of community, the empirical adequacy of these images, and how they have resulted in concrete programs to reduce crime, [this book] theorizes about and reflects upon why some neighborhoods produce so much crime. The result is a tour of the dominant theories of place in social science today."--

Most studies of fear of crime assume that is rimarily induced by direct or indirect contact with a criminal event. Consequently programs designed to deal with this problem focus on either increased police protection or a number of crime prevention programs. In this study, Dan A. Lewis and Greta W. Salem raise questions both about the validity of these assumptions and the effectiveness of the programs. A five-year investigation has led the authors to challenge those theories that focus only on the psychological responses to victimizations and fail to take into account the social and political environments within which such fears are shaped and nurtured.Explicitly laying out a 'social control' perspective which informs their research and analysis, the authors examine the fear of crime in ten neighorhoods in Chicago, San Francisco, and Philadelphia which represent the range of communities typically found in urban areas. On the basis of their analysis the authors contend that fear of crime is not related to exposure or knowledge about criminal events alone but also stems from residents' concerns about broad changes taking place in their neighborhoods. Many people, they argue, are afraid not only because crime occurs but also because they believe that they have lost control over the environment in which they live.Lewis and Salem conclude that the eradication of fear of crime requires strategies that move beyond the traditional crime prevention programs to consider ways to restore the control that community residents feel they have lost and the possibilities for a more equitable distribution of security in urban areas.

Crime is often perceived as an urban issue rather than a problem that occurs in rural areas, but how far is this view tenable? This book explores the relationship between crime and community in rural areas and addresses the notion of safety as part of the community dynamics in such areas. Rural Crime and Community Safety makes a significant contribution to crime science and integrates a range of theories to understand patterns of crime and perceived safety in rural contexts. Based on a wealth of original research, Ceccato combines spatial methods with qualitative analysis to examine, in detail, farm and wildlife crime, youth related crimes and gendered violence in rural settings. Making the most of the expanding field of Criminology and of the growing professional inquiry into crime and crime prevention in rural areas; rural development; and the social sustainability of rural areas, this book builds a bridge by connecting Criminology and Human Geography. This book will be suitable for academics, students and practitioners in the fields of criminology, community safety, rural studies, rural development and gender studies.

This second edition of the Handbook of Crime Prevention and Community Safety provides a completely revised and updated collection of essays focusing on the theory and practice of crime prevention and the creation of safer communities. This book is divided into five comprehensive parts: Part I, brand new to this edition, is concerned with theoretical perspectives on crime prevention and community safety. Part II considers general approaches to preventing crime, including a new chapter on the theory and practice of deterrence. Part III focuses on specific crime prevention strategies, including a new chapter on regulation for crime prevention. Part IV focuses on the prevention of specific categories of crime and the fear they generate, including new chapters on organised crime and cybercrime. Part V considers the preventative process: the methods through which presenting problems can be analysed, responses formulated and implemented, and their effectiveness evaluated. Bringing together leading academics and practitioners from the UK, US, Australia and the Netherlands, this volume will be an invaluable reference for researchers and practitioners whose work relates to crime prevention and community safety, as well as for undergraduate and postgraduate courses in crime prevention.

Crime prevention and community safety have never before been so high on the public and political agendas, and preventing crime has become a central concern of government - both national and local. This book provides a much-needed account of crime prevention and community safety, examining the issues and debates that have arisen, and explaining them in the light of research evidence. The nature and consequences of the shift to crime prevention upon relations between the state and individuals are considered, as are the implications for the many organisations increasingly charged with responsibility for delivering community safety. In analysing the development of crime prevention in Britain, Adam Crawford draws on domestic as well as comparative research and practical experiences. What is meant by crime prevention? What understandings of human nature and crime causation do specific preventive strategies assume? How do political perspectives shape and influence such strategies? What are the likely future directions of crime prevention? These are just some of the important questions addressed in this book. Adam Crawford steers the reader through the theoretical arguments and debates in this area, supporting and illustrating his analysis throughout with practical examples from case studies. In so doing, he outlines and evaluates the growing importance of crime prevention and community safety within the contemporary British system of crime control, providing both students and professionals in the field with a highly informative key text.