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Improved street lighting and crime prevention
Justice Quarterly
Abstract
This article reports on a systematic review—incorporating meta-analytic techniques—of the effects of improved street lighting on crime. Studies were included if they had before-and-after measures of crime in experimental and control areas. Eight American evaluation studies met the criteria for inclusion, and their results were mixed. Four studies found that improved street lighting was effective in reducing crime, while the other four found that it was not effective. However, five more-recent British evaluation studies showed that improved lighting led to decreases in crime. In two studies, the financial savings from reduced crimes greatly exceeded the financial costs of the improved street lighting. A meta-analysis found that the 13 studies, taken together, showed that improved lighting led to reductions in crime. The overall reduction in crime after improved lighting was 20% in experimental areas compared with control areas. Since nighttime crimes did not decrease more than daytime crimes, a theory focusing on the role of street lighting in increasing community pride seems more plausible than a theory focusing on increased surveillance. Future research should be designed to test the main theories of the effects of improved lighting more explicitly and should measure crime using police records, surveys of victims, and self-reports of offending.
... The first systematic review of the effects of street lighting on crime, covering research reported up to December 2000, identified a total of 13 studies (8 from the U.S. and 5 from the U.K.) that met the inclusion criteria (Farrington & Welsh, 2002a;2002b). Improved street lighting was the focus in each of the studies. A meta-analysis of the 13 studies found that the intervention produced a significant and rather sizeable (20%) reduction in crime. ...
... For example, in the present review, we found that desirable effects of street lighting interventions were greater in studies that measured both night and day crimes than in studies that only measured night crimes. Drawing from our prior reviews on the subject, this finding suggests that a theory of street lighting focusing on its role in increasing community pride and informal social control may be more plausible than a theory focusing on increased surveillance or deterrence (see e.g., Farrington & Welsh, 2002b). Crucial to this explanation, however, is the ability to exclude an alternative hypothesis, specifically, that increased community pride comes first, which leads to street lighting interventions and associated reductions in crime. ...
... The effect of streetlighting on the decline in crime in some areas has resulted in the spatial displacement of crime in adjacent regions [46] and no significant evidence of spatial displacement in other regions [47]. Moreover, in some areas, there was an increase in vehicle theft compared to less illuminated areas [48]. An extensive review of literature on the impact of streetlights emphasizes the role of streetlights in increasing community pride and informal social control over increased surveillance [49][50][51]. ...
Urban design and layout significantly influence crime patterns and community safety. Our study examines the effects of local-level urban layout on crime incidence in Coral Gables, a planned, higher-income area in Miami-Dade County, Florida. We assess key environmental attributes, including streetlights, layout, and sidewalks. Our analysis incorporates crime data, UAV orthophotos, and site-specific factors [e.g., streetlight illumination and sidewalk accessibility] to reveal spatiotemporal crime patterns. These patterns exhibit clustering and spatial unevenness. Neighborhood variability, including walkable, accessible neighborhoods, water barriers, gated community seclusion, and perimeter zones bordering lower-income and mixed-use development, influences crime distribution. The impact of streetlights varied across the city, with greater illumination, particularly from residential areas, acting as a significant deterrent against criminal activity. The northern area of Coral Gables aligns with higher crime concentration. Sidewalk accessibility affects crime rates, highlighting the importance of pedestrian-friendly infrastructure. Multi-residential buildings exhibit higher crime rates. Our findings underscore the significance of thoughtful urban planning and granular insights into micro-spatial patterns, which can inform targeted safety enhancements within specific neighborhood locations. Based on the current crime landscape in Coral Gables, we identify exciting avenues for future research with practical implications for crime prevention.
... Employment-related programs for adults are similarly associated with lower arrest rates for their participants (Anwar et al., 2022). Even increased investment in neighborhood conditions, independent of individual-level interventions, may significantly decrease crime victimization (Branas et al., 2018;Farrington & Welsh, 2002). And a substantial amount of police intervention concerns individuals in the midst of psychological, cognitive, emotional, or situational emergencies. ...
... Urban design plays a pivotal role in crime prevention, with strategies like CPTED, improved lighting, and effective land use planning being instrumental in creating safer public spaces (Farrington & Welsh, 2002;Newman, 1972;Rosenbaum, 1994). Principles such as natural surveillance, territorial reinforcement, and maintenance and management are essential in deterring criminal activities and promoting a sense of security among commuters. ...
The accessibility of metro stations is a crucial aspect of urban mobility, yet last-mile connectivity often faces significant barriers, particularly due to crime and safety concerns. This study examines the role of crime as a determinant of last-mile connectivity to metro stations, focusing on how criminal activities and the fear of crime influence commuter behavior and accessibility. Through a mixed-methods approach, the research integrates quantitative analysis of crime data around metro stations with qualitative insights from commuter surveys and interviews with urban planners and law enforcement officials. The findings reveal that higher crime rates and perceived safety risks significantly reduce commuters' willingness to use metro systems, particularly during early morning and late evening hours. This reduced accessibility not only hampers the efficiency of metro systems but also exacerbates issues related to traffic congestion, environmental pollution, and social inequality. The study further explores the economic impact of crime on areas surrounding metro stations, highlighting how declining property values and business activity contribute to a cycle of disinvestment and increased crime. To address these challenges, the study suggests a comprehensive approach combining enhanced surveillance, improved lighting, community engagement, and urban design interventions. These strategies are critical for creating safer, more accessible environments that encourage the use of public transportation and promote sustainable urban development. The research provides valuable insights for urban planners, policymakers, and scholars interested in improving last-mile connectivity and enhancing the overall quality of urban life.
... Crimes and disorders can be reduced through crime prevention (Ekblom and Pease) and policing (Karn, 2013). Crime prevention (Farrington and Welsh, 2002) and policing (Goldstein, 1979) can be improved. The improvement is associated with the police professionalisation agenda (Holdaway, 2017). ...
This study argues that police science and crime science will rise in Indonesia. The publications in police journals facilitate this condition. This study was conducted through a narrative review. The study finds that Indonesian police science has been discussed in the literature, but Indonesian crime science has not. The police journals managed by the INP and related journals shall be used to disseminate policing in Indonesia. Without integrated collaborative measures, the development of police and crime sciences in Indonesia will be slowly achieved. This paper suggests improvements to the management of the police journals. With the advance of the journals, passionate people from various disciplines in Indonesia and global nations may be invited to help improve policing in Indonesia.
... Street lighting aims to contribute towards the well-being and safety of citizens. It is intended to serve the prevention of crime [1]. The accelerating pace of smart cities employs a large number of streetlights to manage city operations, which in turn consumes an enormous amount of energy [2]. ...
A major impact on energy savings by efficient use of streetlights becomes significant to develop a smart city. There is a need to optimize the values of necessary street lighting parameters for energy planning. So, an artificial neural network embedded genetic algorithm approach is proposed to obtain energy efficient street lighting. The neural network serves the purpose of the autonomous dimming of streetlights whenever required, while the genetic algorithm is utilized to minimize the error anticipating in the training procedure of the artificial neural network model. In the proposed work, each individual population of the genetic algorithm is comprised of four genes, such as the number of hidden layers as well as the number of neurons on the first layer in the artificial neural network, the activation function and the optimizer used for the training of the artificial neural network model. The outcome of the genetic algorithm generates the suitable values of the hyper-parameters in combinations, which in turn determines the minimum training error for the artificial neural network model. The effectiveness of tuning hyper-parameters for selecting the best neural network architecture is comprehensively assessed. The computation time of the proposed work for different variations in terms of optimizers and activation functions is shown. Finally, the proposed embedded framework has shown an improvement of 41.94% more energy efficiency and 94.8% less training error, instead of existing works.
... It can help prevent offenders from hiding. There is a body of evidence that supports a positive relationship between quality street lighting, reduced crime and disorder, and enhanced feelings of safety (Painter, 1994;Selfi et al. 2023;Welsh & Farrington, 2008). Improvements can also occur during daylight hours, due in part to increased community ownership of space through a process referred to as a 'diffusion of benefits' or a 'halo effect' (Clarke, 1997, p. 31). ...
This chapter outlines a best practice framework for reducing or eliminating public crime and disorder problems. Situational crime prevention and CPTED (Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design) provide core concepts, including defensible space, territoriality, guardianship and assisting compliance. The idea of an enforcement pyramid also aids planning. Additional applied theories include community policing, reassurance policing, quality-of-life policing and third-party policing. Social contract theory and systematic problem solving (or ‘problem-oriented policing’) constitute overarching frameworks. These theories are developed from research on what does and doesn’t work in crime prevention. Consequently, they provide important starting points and a shared language for developing strategies that are most likely to be effective, subject to local conditions. The chapter includes a set of intervention case studies in the areas of lighting, road and alley closures, public housing layouts and security upgrades in order to illustrate these principles at work in real life.
... A População residencial foi definida como critério porque, apesar de descartada durante a regressão múltipla, ela está presente em estudos criminais como estimativa da quantidade de alvos em potencial [Figueiredo e Mota 2016] [Ingilevich e Ivanov 2018]. Também consequente da varredura à literatura criminal, selecionou-se a Iluminação pública como critério por revelar a discrepância socioeconômica local e ser um indicativo da chance de identificar um criminoso devido à luminosidade [Farrington e Welsh 2002] [Xu et al. 2018]. ...
... Barcelona's smart street lighting system uses light-emitting diode (LED) devices to save energy and reduce costs [6]. Moreover, improvements in the quality of life, reduced crime rates, and enhanced public safety are potential advantages of efficient smart street lighting systems [7]. ...
Smart lighting systems have become increasingly popular in several public sectors because of trends toward urbanization and intelligent technologies. In this study, we designed and implemented a web application platform to explore and monitor data acquired from lighting devices at Thammasat University (Rangsit Campus, Thailand). The platform provides a convenient interface for administrative and operative staff to monitor, control, and collect data from sensors installed on campus in real time for creating geographically specific big data. Platform development focuses on both back- and front-end applications to allow a seamless process for recording and displaying data from interconnected devices. Responsible persons can interact with devices and acquire data effortlessly, minimizing workforce and human error. The collected data were analyzed using an exploratory data analysis process. Missing data behavior caused by system outages was also investigated.
... How our public spaces and streets are illuminated will establish contextual predictability to our surroundings and our willingness to remain there. "Street lighting enhances visibility, contributes to social surveillance, P A P E R reduces the fear of crime, and decreases criminal opportunities" 13 . Clark points out that "crime prevention can be sustained, and opportunities of crime can be reduced through modification of the physical environment." ...
Quality “Places or Commons” are evaluated by their number of occupants, who is coming there, how long they are staying, and, most importantly, how often they return. Whether the Centre Pompidou in Paris, France, or Mainstreet USA, our places represent who we are as a community. While one could evaluate success by gathering financial numbers from surrounding businesses, they would fall short of the “why” people are there. Immersing your investigation around the “why” a person returns to a place and stays beyond a single reason will start to tell the story of the Place. Place = People + Built Environment. The Community will come, only if you create with “them” at the start of conceptualization. Using the community as a collective owner in the design process, both directly and through human behavior observations, leads to a design for a regenerative and redistributive commons-based economy or a Community’s Place. We have created the Pipeline to Better Placemaking. A six-stage platform using digital realities to Observe, Teach, & Engage in the creation of Place. The innovation or uniqueness of this pipeline is in the interactive collection of local knowledge. We are measuring both the built environment and human behavior. Our team has been collaborating with the university psychology department on how to observe human behavior, the computer science department to program multiple prototypes from the ground up, the planning department to better understand zoning laws, and finally, the architecture department to observe the built environment and conceptualize community focused places.
... It has been claimed that outdoor lighting can reduce crime and increase public safety (123), but it has also been disputed (124) and criticized as an approach that elude the deeper socio-economical causes of crime (125)(126)(127). The connection between outdoor lighting and crime appears to be sensitive to local conditions and should be context appropriate (128,129). Since the findings in this review is only based on one paper, no conclusions can be made between the relationship of outdoor lighting and children's risks of being victims of crime. ...
Introduction
Independent mobility is every child's right and has implications for their health, wellbeing, and development. This scoping review addresses children's needs and experiences of light conditions in their everyday outdoor life. The review examines peer-reviewed scientific literature that analyses associations between different light conditions and children's independent mobility (CIM) during dark hours.
Methods
By formulating a Boolean search string, including terms related to children independent mobility, light and outdoor environment, five scientific databases were searched. The search resulted in 67 eligible papers that were analyzed through an inductive, thematic analysis.
Results
Four overarching themes representing the researched topics of the effects of light conditions with importance for CIM during dark hours were identified: (1) physical activity (PA) and active travel, (2) outdoor activities and place use, (3) safety perception, and (4) outdoor risks. The findings highlight that darkness constitutes a major obstacle for CIM, and that fear of darkness is common among children. It restricts the degree of CIM and influences children's safety perception as well as how they navigate through public places outdoors. The findings show that the type and design of outdoor settings during dark hours and children's familiarity with places during daytime could play a role in the degree of CIM after dark. The presence of outdoor lighting is related to children's increased PA and active travel, and outdoor lighting seems to also influence children's place use and interaction with the environment. The presence and extent of outdoor lighting and lighting quality may play a role in children's safety perception, which in turn can influence CIM.
Discussion
The findings suggest that promoting CIM during dark hours might not only contribute to the accumulation of children's PA, confidence, and skills, but also support mental health. The understanding of children's perspectives on the quality of outdoor lighting needs to be deepened to support CIM. Highlighting the child perspective would aid the development of current recommendations for outdoor lighting and the implementation of the Agenda 2030 of ensuring healthy lives and promoting wellbeing for all at all ages, and making cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable throughout the day and seasons.
... Bu doğrultuda oluşturulan Toplumsal Gelişim Modeli, bireyin gelişimsel sürecinde toplumla ilişkilerinde etkili olan faktörleri, bütünleyici olarak değerlendirir (Eryılmaz, 2008). Ayrıca bütünleyici olarak suçluluğu bireysel özelliklerin yanı sıra kişilerarası farklılıklara göre yapılan sosyopsikolojik incelemelerde bulunmaktadır (Farrington & Welsh, 2002). Sosyal psikolojiye göre suç toplumu oluşturan sosyal grupların üyeleri tarafından kabul görmüş inanç, gelenek, örf ve adetlerin dayandığı kurallara karşı işlenmiş davranışlardır (Güler, 2010). ...
... The key elements of Road Lighting encompass those of safety, security and casualty prevention for pedestrians, drivers, commuters and all other road users. Contemporary work by other investigators into road lighting had hinted at the positive impact of the presence of road lighting and reduced night time crashes [1]. By analyzing more than a decade of road crash data in India, the study was able to establish a significant correlation between the presence of road lighting and prevention of road crashes during the hours of darkness. ...
Road lighting is one of the most important cogs in the wheel of the global transportation nexus. Objective of this study is to prevent road crashes and fostering the overall safety and security of the streets, roads and highways. To verify, validate and gain greater comprehension about the role of road lighting in promoting safety and security, in-depth road crash data spanning over a decade was collected from public authorities. The rigorous analysis undertaken on the data was able to establish the stellar role of road lighting in the prevention of road crashes and mishaps, and also to choose suitable light sources and luminaires.
... Bench around metro entrances infers civic maintenance and serves as a sign of territoriality and surveillance, which may deter criminal behaviors. Besides, streetlights not only function as territory markers and signals of guardianship to prevent crime (Newman, 1972) but also through improving lighting conditions around metro entrances, increase community pride and provide informal social control (Farrington & Welsh, 2002). Secondly, the observed skyscraper within 50 m around subway stations and the perceived imageability are relevant. ...
The relationship between crimes, fear of crimes, and the physical environments of metro stations are interlocked. They ultimately influence metro safety and ridership, which are essential for not only urban life quality but also the environmental and fiscal sustainability of regional management. This study mainly investigates how the urban design quality (UDQ) of the ground-level environments surrounding subway stations, both how they express (objectively) and how they are perceived (subjectively), is associated with the reported crime density on streets. To extend conventionally interested ‘broken window theory’, multi-dimensional UDQs highly valued in urban planning literature are measured for metro entrances in New York through the applications of Street View Imagery (SVI), computer vision (CV) and machine learning (ML). Significant associations are found between UDQs and crime densities overbearing the integration of socioeconomic and land use factors. ‘Person’, ‘Safety’ and ‘Complexity’ are associated with higher crime density, while ‘Bench’, ‘Streetlight’, ‘Skyscraper’, ‘Human Scale’, and ‘Imageability’ are related to lower crime risk. By bridging urban planning and criminology literature, this study provides new insights into Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED). It contributes to the literature with an efficient approach for urbanists and criminologists to replicate for future studies in microenvironments.
... Their implementation includes an LED lighting system to promote energy efficiency and cost savings [6]. The other advantages presented by the smart street lighting system are the reduction in crime rate, the promotion of life security, and quality of life improvement [7]. ...
As a recent trend in urbanization and intelligent technologies, smart lighting systems have been implemented in many major cities to support smart urban environments. This research developed a web application platform for data visualization and lighting device monitoring at Thammasat University, Rangsit Campus, Thailand. This implementation provides administrative and operative staff with an all-in-one platform through a convenient interface for monitoring, controlling, and collecting data from area devices and sensors. Platform devel-opment was divided into two sections: back-end application, providing application programming interface (API) endpoints, and front-end application, offering an interface for interacting with on-campus staff. Finally, the web application was deployed on a cloud platform so that responsible persons may access it on any device and acquire data in real time. Given the platform's capabilities, further data analytics may be proposed for building a smarter lighting system.
... Painter and Farrington [29] indicated that increasing street lighting reduced crime rates on the basis of a self-report survey of young people. Farrington and Welsh [30] recommended that studies measured crime rates by using police records, surveys of victims, and accounts of offenses by perpetrators. ...
This study performed main path analysis to explore the academic field of crime prevention. Studies were collected from the Web of Science database, and main path analysis was used to analyze the studies and identify influential authors and journals on the basis of the g-index and h-index. Cluster analysis was then performed to group studies with related themes. Wordle was used to output keywords and word clouds for each cluster, both of which were used as reference to name each cluster. Five clusters were identified, namely crime displacement control, crime prevention through environmental design, developmental crime prevention, the effects of communalism on crime prevention, and the effect of childhood sexual abuse on crime. Each cluster was analyzed, and suggestions based on the results are provided. The main purpose of crime prevention is to advance our understanding of the psychological criminal mechanisms (i.e., personal, social and environmental impacts) associated with different criminal behaviors at the intersection of law by using main path analysis.
The relationship between design and behavioural change has never been more crucial than in today′s world, where health, wellbeing, and sustainability are at the core of societal transformation [...]
Residential street lighting plays a crucial role in enhancing the reassurance for pedestrians returning home late at night. However, street lighting is sometimes recommended and required to be kept at lower levels at night, due to problems such as light pollution, energy consumption, and negative economics. To solve these problems, this study designed a new Dynamic tracking lighting control mode capable of greater interactivity. Our study aimed to determine whether this new interactive lighting model can balance pedestrian safety with energy savings, compared with other lighting approaches used in low-light environments. In this experiment, 30 participants explored four lighting conditions in a simulated nighttime street environment through virtual reality (VR) and completed their assessment of each lighting mode. The statistical analysis of the results using the Friedman ANOVA test revealed that the Dynamic tracking lighting mode had advantages in improving the pedestrians’ reassurance compared with the other three lighting modes. Moreover, an additional recognition test experiment recorded the distance between each other whenever a participant recognized a stranger agent. The experimental results showed that this Dynamic tracking lighting mode can improve pedestrians’ ability to recognize others in low-light environments. These findings provide new strategies and ideas for urban energy conservation and environmental protection.
This research examines the impact of government policy initiatives, community engagement programs, and age-friendly urban design policies on the built environment, with a specific focus on the walkability of older adults. The walkability of older adults in the built environment is essential because it promotes physical activity, social connectedness, and independence, thereby enhancing the overall quality of life and supporting healthy aging. This study employs a quantitative approach and cross-sectional design with convenience sampling in Udupi district, one of the urbanizing districts in India. The sample includes 333 older adults from diverse sociodemographic backgrounds who actively use the built environment. Structural equation modeling was used to test the hypotheses. The findings indicate that community engagement programs are the strongest enabler of safety and security perceptions related to walkability. Safety and security positively correlate with increased physical activity level, increased socialization level, and improved quality of life in older adults. Security also mediates the relationship between community engagement programs and all three outcomes associated with walkability. It highlights priority urban design features such as strategic lighting, sheltered walkways, traffic calming measures, barrier-free access, rest areas, and inclusive design elements as critical components of adaptive urban spaces that promote safety, accessibility, and social inclusion for older adults.
Rising energy costs and a desire for sustainability have led municipalities to implement measures such as reducing artificial public lighting at night (ALAN). However, under pressure from residents, some municipalities are being forced to reverse their decision. Although important, the social relationship of individuals to public lighting and its impact on decisions to reduce or modify is still little considered. This study examines how residents of a municipality in southern France perceive a policy of reducing artificial night lighting from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. A survey of 91 participants was used to assess their understanding of the positive (safety, nightlife…) and negative (effects on biodiversity, health…) impacts of ALAN, their attitudes towards the measure, and their opinions regarding its extension. The results indicate that participants who recognise the negative impacts of ALAN are more inclined to support its reduction (r = 0.56, p < 0.001; ß = 0.44, t = 3.12, p = 0.003), while those who appreciate its positive impacts are more reluctant to accept the measure (r = −0.57, p < 0.001; ß = −0.70, t = −5.30, p < 0.001). Hierarchical regression analysis revealed that specific attitudes towards these lighting-off measures were the main predictor of support for the policy (ß = 0.60, t = 6.70, p < 0.001) than general beliefs about the impacts of lighting. These results suggest that implementing such policies requires balancing ecological considerations with social expectations and building trust between local authorities and residents to improve public acceptance of lighting strategies. This study contributes to the still scarce research on the positioning of individuals in real projects to reduce or even switch off lighting and demonstrates the value of studying the relationship between individuals and policies to reduce public lighting.
Urban safety is critical for sustainable cities, especially in emerging countries such as India, where
growing crime endangers community well-being and economic stability. This research examines
the geographical association between nighttime light (NTL) intensity and urban property crime,
namely theft and burglary in Siliguri City, India. This research seeks to answer the question: Do
well-illuminated areas experience lower property crime incidents compared to poorly-lit neighbourhoods?
The research uses NASA’s Suomi NPP-VIIRS nightlight data from 2021 to 2023 to examine
spatial patterns and relationships between NTL and urban crime, using spatial analytic methods.
Furthermore, a Negative Binomial Regression Model (NBRM) confirms the hypothesis that areas
with low NTL are more vulnerable to crime. The findings indicate a substantial negative association
between NTL and urban crime, with brighter locations seeing lower crime rates. Northern
neighbourhoods of the city with poor NTL had increased crime incidents, demonstrating
vulnerability. Empirical evidence reveals that a one-unit increase in NTL intensity decreased
larceny by 14.8% and burglary by 24.3%. Improved model performance, as shown in R2, AIC, and
BIC, emphasizes the significance of NTL in crime reduction. The results emphasize the need for
strategic investments in lighting infrastructure as a key instrument for urban safety and
policymaking.
With interest in ‘what it is like to be subjected to?’ this article provides insight into unhoused people’s experiences of being exposed to ‘exclusionary design’ (Jensen, 2019, 2023), and how this type of design affects their everyday life. Exclusionary design encompasses elements such as benches divided into sections with armrests, sound installations with music set up in station areas, and areas that are fenced off. In the study of the experience of exclusionary design, 15 unhoused people were interviewed, and it is the statements of some of these people that form the foundation of this article, offering a deeper understanding of the impact of being rejected by exclusionary design in public spaces. The article concludes that three particular aspects are prevalent: exclusionary design is perceived as (1) unsolidary, (2) destructive, and (3) a stress factor in an already chaotic existence.
This research project explores the application of the design approach of Eco-efficient Value Creation and the model of the Eco-cost/Value Ratio to practical cases, in order to advance the potential contribution of designers to accelerating the transition towards an environmentally sustainable society.
The Eco-efficient Value Creation approach is aimed at enabling designers to effectively create design solutions which combine a low environmental impact with a high customer perceived value, in order to achieve an increase in sustainable design solutions capturing market share over unsustainable design solutions currently on the market.
This paper examines whether the intensity of Airbnb is associated with city-level crime rates. This research sheds light on matters adjacent to current activities in public policy as cities engage in city-level Airbnb regulation. At the same time, Airbnb continues to expand. In the aggregate, Airbnb usage is associated with no significant crime increase but rather significant decreases in crimes of private conflict that persist in direction, significance, and magnitude over time. I do uncover evidence that two types of rooms, private rooms (44%) and shared rooms (1.5%), appear to be positively associated with both property crimes and crimes against society, though it is not always significant. Those same crimes have a roughly mirrored reduction as entire place usage increases, representing the majority and remainder (54.5%) of Airbnb rentals. More importantly, the crime reduction retains the same approximate magnitude for 12 months afterward, and no pretrends are apparent. This aligns with the idea that Airbnb offerings in the aggregate are generally crime-neutral or modestly crime-reducing rather than the prevailing opinion that they are criminogenic while highlighting considerable heterogeneity in their offerings.
The structure of residential neighborhoods appears to have an impact on Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL). This study aims to analyze structures and perceptions among Chileans regarding residential neighborhoods and how their characteristics influence HRQoL. We employed a secondary analysis based on the National Quality of Life Survey.
Our findings indicate that the presence of infrastructure within neighborhoods, including recreational spaces, green areas, businesses, lighting and street paving, public transportation, health and sanitation services, were all associated with better scores on the mental and physical HRQoL, along with perceptions of safety, comfort, belonging, and positive neighborhood evaluations (p < 0.05).
By contrast, a lack of infrastructure, including recreation spaces (OR: 1.19), and negative perceptions about the neighborhood, including poor security (OR: 1.19), low belonging (OR: 1.70), and discomfort (OR: 1.50), were identified as risk factors for the mental and physical health of the population.
The results establish that the absence of various infrastructures and negative perceptions about neighborhoods influence HRQoL in the Chilean population. Along with the sociodemographic characteristics of each individual, these findings highlight the necessity to develop interventions and public policies in precarious neighborhoods which invite participation from the subgroups living within the neighborhoods themselves.
Studying the spatiotemporal dynamics of crime is crucial for accurate crime geography research. While studies have examined crime patterns related to weekdays, seasons, and specific events, there is a noticeable gap in research on nighttime crimes. This study focuses on crimes occurring during the nighttime, investigating the temporal definition of nighttime crime and the correlation between nighttime lights and criminal activities. The study concentrates on four types of nighttime crimes, assault, theft, burglary, and robbery, conducting univariate and multivariate analyses. In the univariate analysis, correlations between nighttime crimes and nighttime light (NTL) values detected in satellite images and between streetlight density and nighttime crimes are explored. The results highlight that nighttime burglary strongly relates to NTL and streetlight density. The multivariate analysis delves into the relationships between each nighttime crime type and socioeconomic and urban infrastructure variables. Once again, nighttime burglary exhibits the highest correlation. For both univariate and multivariate regression models the geographically weighted regression (GWR) outperforms ordinary least squares (OLS) regression in explaining the relationships. This study underscores the importance of considering the location and offense time in crime geography research and emphasizes the potential of using NTL in nighttime crime analysis.
Safety from crime is a fundamental human need. In Maslow’s hierarchy, safety is one of the foundational needs of well-being. The built environment should be safe to use at all times of the day and for all groups of people. After dark, the appearance of the outdoor environment changes dramatically, and this could impact the opportunities for crime. This study investigated the impact of daylight on the rates of different types of crime by comparing the crime rates during selected periods of daylight and darkness. The study used records of crime data from the Metropolitan Police Service. By studying crimes in the week on either side of the twice-yearly clock change, it is possible to compare periods that are dark in one week and light in the other at the same clock time. Where the time at which the crime took place was known, and using the GPS coordinates of the specific crime, the solar altitude was calculated and used to determine if it was light or dark at the time of the crime. A similar calculation was used to see if the crime would have been in the dark or light in the week on the other side of the clock change. The headline result is that there was 4.8% (OR 1.07) more crime in the dark periods than the light ones. However, this increase was not uniform across all crime types, and there were some further complications in some results due to potential changes in the behavior of some victims after dark. For the crimes of theft from a person and robbery of personal property, there was a significant increase during the dark period. The availability of light had an impact on the rate of certain crimes. Whilst this does not provide any information about the impact of street lighting on crime, it does provide some idea of by how much crime could be reduced if better lighting was provided.
Urban lighting system is an important part of urban space service functions. With the continuous advancement of sustainable development goals, governments of various countries are gradually paying attention to the energy, social, economic and environmental benefits of urban lighting systems, and promote the use of LED lighting to replace HPS lamp lighting to save urban energy consumption. In this study, we used the glimmer imager data of SDGSAT-1 launched in 2021, combined with the streetlight dataset of the District of Columbia, to establish a classification model for distinguishing LED lights from HPS lamps, with an overall recognition accuracy of 80.3% and the kappa coefficient is 0.603. Based on this model, we identify light types in the central cities of China’s three urban agglomerations: Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen, and describe their lighting composition and spatial distribution patterns. Additionally, we make a preliminary estimate of the money and electricity consumption saved by lighting renovations, and analyzed the impact of urban lighting changes on public perception. This study combines SDGSAT-1 data to propose a training model in urban lighting classification and applies it to a wide range of urban, the results of which help to provide data to support the implementation of SDG7.
An efficient framework for deploying the street lights is proposed in this paper to obtain maximum lighting coverage for the reduction in night-time accidents and crime. It ensures a maximum coverage with reduced energy consumption obtained by the street lights. In the proposed work, a suitable layout of lighting arrangement is selected accordingly depending on the road width and the height of the street light. The Iso-Lux diagram is used to determine point-specific illuminance of the street light. The proposed approach can determine the distance from the Nadir point in both directions, which in turn finds an optimal inter-distance between two consecutive luminaires to ensure maximum coverage. The simulation results show the effectiveness of the proposed work over existing approaches in terms of several street lighting design aspects.
This study aimed to describe changes in annual incidence rates and the severity of deliberate interpersonal violence based on hospital and forensic data in a Danish urban population 2003-2021. Included in the study were local victims of violence admitted to Odense University Hospital and/or subjected to medico-legal autopsy at the Institute of Forensic Medicine, University of Southern Denmark from 2003 to 2021. Based on population counts, we estimated overall and gender specific annual incidence rates in different age groups. For the 14,788 victims included in the study, the gender-specific incidence rates were 5.7 for males and 2.4 for females per 1000 population/year. The incidence rates decreased almost fourfold for both genders in all age groups. In both gender, the incidence rate of violence involving mild injuries decreased significantly, whereas incidence rate of violence involving severe injuries remained unchanged over the study period. The proportion of superficial lesions decreased and the proportion of wounds, bone fractures, and deep lesions increased. The proportion of victims with injuries from knifes increased from 3.0 to 5.4% in the study period. Overall, 0.3% died from their injuries. The present study showed a significant decreased in the incidence rate of violence based on hospital and forensic data. The decrease involved solely victims with less severe injuries. We recommend studies combining hospital, forensic, and police data.
The study sought to investigate the Seventh-day Adventist (S.D.A.) church mission and its influence on domestic violence within Gusii region. The study was guided by the following specific objectives: to establish the nature of domestic violence in the S.D.A church within Gusii region; to analyse the effects of domestic violence on the S.D.A church within Gusii region; and to assess the S.D.A church involvement in domestic violence within Gusii region. The findings were intended to broaden the scope of scholars' understanding of the un-detachable interlink between the S.D.A church mission and domestic violence. The conclusion arrived points that the S.D.A church within Gusii region was a major player in successfully mitigating domestic violence. The study was descriptive in nature and therefore employing qualitative approach which allowed the use of triangulation employing cross sectional survey research design, to ascertain the views of different types of people in relation to the study. The cross sectional research design deals with different types (group) of respondents. The study suited within the provisions of descriptive research design because the researcher collected data and reported the way things were given by respondents without manipulating any variables. The study employed purposeful sampling because it enabled the researcher to pick out the key subjects who had rich and relevant information needed in the study. Personal interviews, observation, and literature review were used as instruments for data collection.
The effects of artificial light at night (ALAN) on human health have drawn increased attention in the last two decades. Numerous studies have discussed the effects of ALAN on human health on diverse topics. A broader scope of how ALAN may affect human health is thus urgently needed. This paper depicts a systematic evidence map in a multi-component framework to link ALAN with human health through a comprehensive literature review of English research articles in the past two decades. A three-phase systematic review was conducted after a generalized search of relevant articles from three publication databases, namely Scopus, the Web of Science, and PubMed. In total, 552 research articles were found in four categories and on numerous topics within our framework. We cataloged the evidence that shows direct and indirect as well as positive and negative effects of ALAN on human physical and mental health. We also summarized the studies that consider ALAN as a social determinant of human health. Based on our framework and the systematic evidence map, we also suggest several promising directions for future studies, including method design, co-exposure and exposome studies, and social and environmental justice.
Objectives: Police-monitored CCTV systems are supposed to reduce on-the-street crime. The purpose of this study is to determine whether the MiCalle CCTV systems program in Mexico City had local and spatial spillover effects on delivery robberies. Methods: When data is clustered in space and time, random effects and errors can be autocorrelated in both dimensions. To test the effectiveness of the MiCalle program on delivery robbery crime rates, a Difference-inDifferences (DID) design was specified in a maximum likelihood (ML) panel regression model with spatial lag coefficients, random effects variance estimates, and autoregressive serial correlation variance estimates. Results: At the neighborhood level of study, we find no evidence connecting delivery robbery crime rates to the Mexico City MiCalle program. Conclusions: The MiCalle program has been geographically unfocused and appears to have been ineffective in reducing delivery robberies. Future studies of police-monitored CCTV systems should consider the possibility of spatiotemporal interactions among variables, particularly if spatialized panel data is used.
With Chinese people’s increasing willingness to participate in night activities, local governments have begun regarding the nighttime economy as an important means to stimulate urban vitality and increase social employment. This study uses changes in urban nighttime light brightness as a measure of environmental factors to examine the social effects of nighttime activities. Based on panel data for 227 prefecture-level cities in China from 2000 to 2013, this study empirically investigates the effect and mechanism of nighttime light brightness on the urban crime rate. Empirical results show that (1) a 1% increase in nighttime light brightness increases criminal arrest rate and prosecution rate by 1.474% and 2.371%, respectively; (2) the effects are larger in developed areas with higher levels of lighting and economic development, or in urban areas (compared with rural areas), and (3) the mechanism test shows that such effects are more pronounced in cities with more nighttime business, confirming the existence of a crime opportunity effect.
In times when security is the topmost priority of every community, the provision of adequate and functional streetlights is deemed necessary as one of the measures to protect life and property. In this study, the researchers designed and constructed a prototype device Automatic Streetlight Controller with an anti-theft alarm using a Light-dependent resistor (LDR) and Photodiode-Infrared LED tandem. This study was conducted to assess the qualitative description, functionality, and level of acceptability regarding the constructed Automatic Streetlight Controller with Anti-theft device in terms of its performance as to device and simulator/trainer, the convenience of use, safety, assembly of parts, and cost. A mixed research design was used that includes both qualitative and quantitative research design. The qualitative description of the device was presented in narrative form and assessed using a focused-group discussion. Quantitative research design is done using a quasi-experimental in testing the functionality, trials were made to assess its functionality, and a descriptive survey method was used to assess the level of acceptability. Probability sampling was also used thru the lottery method to get the two (2) selected groups of respondents: the 3 rd year BSIT-Electricity block B students and community barangay officials of Calunasan, Calape, Bohol. T-test was used to test its significance using the 0.05α. Results have shown that on testing the device has 100% good performance and is rated as it functions well. The acceptability level was rated "very high" which means highly acceptable by both respondents. Therefore, the device can be used if implanted in existing street lights or newly built ones to improve the condition of our street lights to properly illuminate the streets for an improved security system.
Research has shown that presidents tend to benefit local level copartisans when distributing resources, which can improve the provision of public goods, such as security. Considering that fear of crime is among the main concerns of citizens worldwide, we examine whether alignment affects criminality. Drawing on rich administrative data from Chile and a regression discontinuity design in close electoral races, we study the impact of alignment on a broad set of crimes against the person and property-related. We show that aligned municipalities experience a significant reduction in crimes that both affect property and occur in public. As a potential mechanism, we find that aligned municipalities receive more projects to improve urban infrastructure, thus making public spaces less vulnerable to crime.
This article questions the police capacity to apply all the evidence about the link between crimes and places. It reviews
what we know about crime places in six propositions. Most policing strategies are unable to take advantage of all six propositions.
Particular attention is drawn to place managers. Managers have the ability to address the factors that make places attractive
for crime or resistant to crime. Evidence suggests a regulatory approach to place management is more productive than a hot
spot enforcement approach. Most police agencies may not be willing or capable of applying a regulatory approach. Thus, it
might be advisable to create a new non-police agency to prevent crime at places. Not only might this be more effective, it
may also be less expensive and create fewer difficulties with communities.
Despite their importance in assessing the impact of policies, outcome evaluations—and in particular randomized experiments—are relatively rare. The rationalizations used to justify the absence of outcome evaluations include such assertions as “we know our programs are working,”“they can't possibly harm anyone,” and “if they only help one kid they're worth it.” Using preliminary results from a systematic review of nine randomized experiments of the Scared Straight, or prison visitation program, the authors show that a popular and well-meaning program can have harmful effects. They use these results to argue for more rigorous evaluations to test criminal justice interventions.
This study reports on an evaluation of the effects of street lights on crime in several Indianapolis neighborhoods. Crime was measured in terms of calls for police service (CFS). Using a quasiexperimental design, we performed analyses on four multiblock areas, three intersections, and two aggregated address groups. Two control areas were matched to two multiblock areas that received enhanced lighting. Of the nine target areas, six showed evidence of lower CFS volumes after more lighting. We analyzed the mean weekly CFS in the pre- and postinstallation periods. Two lighted areas had a lower mean weekly CFS after installation. The more illuminated target area experienced a greater reduction in average CFS for property and miscellaneous crimes than did the control area.
Systematic reviews use rigorous methods for locating, appraising, and synthesizing evidence from prior evaluation studies. They have explicit objectives, explicit criteria for including or excluding studies, and a structured and detailed report. The Campbell Collaboration Crime and Justice Group aims to prepare and maintain systematic reviews of criminological interventions and to make them accessible electronically to scholars, practitioners, policy makers, and the general public. The major challenges include setting methodological criteria for including studies in reviews, securing continued funding, academics needing publications in scholarly journals, and coping with the volume of work needed to maintain high standards, including refereeing proposals and final reviews and dealing with correspondence and unsolicited proposals. The aim of making the best knowledge about the effectiveness of criminological interventions immediately available to everyone is ambitious and very important.
In order to determine what works in reducing crime, systematic reviews of the literature are needed. Systematic reviews have explicit objectives, explicit criteria for including or excluding studies, extensive searches for eligible evaluation studies from all over the world, careful extraction and coding of key features of studies, and a structured and detailed report of the methods and conclusions of the review. The Campbell Collaboration Crime and Justice Group has been established to prepare, continually update and electronically disseminate systematic reviews of criminological topics. Its international Steering Committee has identified key topics for the first reviews and is moving forward to obtain these reviews and to expand the activities of the Crime and Justice Group.
Studies investigating the positive effect that improved street lighting has on crime and the fear of crime have become remarkably popular. Impressive results have regularly been reported. However, while most use the ‘before-and-after’ interview format, many neglect to have a long enough follow-up period or to control for the effect that interviewing at different times of the year may have.
The study reported here is based on a twelve-month follow-up period, and controls exactly for time of year at follow-up interview stage. Further, in addition to relighting the area surrounding the homes of respondents, other external environmental improvements were effected, and the security precautions of the homes of respondents were substantially improved.
In spite of this, little improvement in victimization or fear of victimization could be documented. Some improvement might have been noticed had respondents been consulted when the nature and type of improvements were being planned. It is more likely that improved street lighting is no panacea for all ills, and may only be effective under certain conditions.
Crime prevention projects assumed an enhanced importance during the 1980s in a number of countries. This paper assesses the experience of crime prevention projects to date, and argues for a mixed strategy of situational, social and developmental crime prevention for the future. Additionally, potential problems in inter‐agency co‐operation in local crime prevention projects need to be more honestly faced, and evolving policies in the crime prevention field should be appropriately evaluated by adequately rigorous research. Attention should be paid to the relationship between crime prevention and wider social trends and policies.
Patterns of crime should be seen as the outcome of crime-control policies and the distribution of opportunities. Such crime-control policies are often argued to have the limited effect of displacing crime, that is, substituting new crimes for prevented crimes. Displacement alone is an inadequate concept; a better formulation centers on the deflection of crime from a target. Some patterns of deflected crime can be regarded as "benign" displacement, while others are considered "malign." Thus conceived, deflection can be used as a policy tool to achieve a more "desirable" pattern of crime. It is already so used, inter alia, by insurance companies with a commercial motive. Better information systems are required to show displacement or deflection, and to assist in monitoring the distribution of crime through space and time. Patterns of criminal activity and victimization can be conceptualized as an outcome of conscious and unconscious decisions by the public, politicians, and the police. These patterns are no...
Situational prevention seeks to reduce opportunities for specific categories of crime by increasing the associated risks and difficulties and reducing the rewards. It is composed of three main elements: an articulated theoretical framework, a standard methodology for tackling specific crime problems, and a set of opportunity-reducing techniques. The theoretical framework is informed by a variety of "opportunity" theories, including the routine activity and rational choice perspectives. The standard methodology is a version of the action research paradigm in which researchers work with practitioners to analyze and define the problem, to identify and try out possible solutions, and to evaluate and disseminate the results. The opportunity-reducing techniques range from simple target hardening to more sophisticated methods of deflecting offenders and reducing inducements. Displacement of crime has not proved to be the serious problem once thought, and there is now increasing recognition that situational measu...
In recent years, in the United Kingdom and other industrialized countries, there has been a growing interest in the economic costs and benefits of efforts to prevent crime. Little is known, however, about the economic value of the principal strategies. This paper reviews the costs and benefits of situational crime prevention. Thirteen situational crime prevention studies permitted the calculation of benefit to cost ratios, enabling an assessment of programme efficiency. In general, benefits were calculated more conservatively than costs. There were no consistent relationships between the studies' benefit-cost ratios and either the primary intervention technique employed or the primary crime targeted by the intervention. Current knowledge suggests that situational prevention can be an economically efficient strategy for the reduction of crime. However, future evaluations need better designs, more adequate estimates of costs and benefits and longer follow-up periods.
This paper analyzes an experiment designed to demonstrate the effects of high intensity street lights on nighttime crime. The statistical methodology is developed around an interrupted time series design and illustrates the hazards that can arise if the serial dependence of successive observations is ignored.
The influence of religion on delinquency has been debated for more than 30 years, and yet, there remains a lack of consensus about the nature of this relationship. In an effort to bring some clarity to this area, this study assesses the religion-delinquency literature by using a methodological approach to reviewing a body of literature that is new to the social sciences—the systematic review (SR). This SR revealed that the literature is not disparate or contradictory, as previous studies have suggested. Religious measures are generally inversely related to deviance, and this is especially true among the most rigorous studies. As criminologists continue to examine the neglected topic of religion or what has been referred to as the forgotten factor, this article is a warning that measurement issues around a complex topic like religion, or even spirituality or forgiveness, is of paramount concern. The findings further indicate that future research on delinquency may gain explanatory power by incorporating religious variables in relevant theoretical models.
Property offenders construct cognitive images of the physical environment to decide where to commit crimes. At least three levels of target selection occur-neighborhoods, or regions; street blocks; and specific sites. Information on the physical characteristics of neighborhoods, such as ease of entry and exit, the number of internal boundaries limiting ease of circulation, and signs of guardianship or of incivilities, are weighed by the offender to determine risks, opportunities, and conveniences. This framework for understanding links between offenders and the physical environment provides a typology for evaluating research on environmental design and crime prevention, especially research on defensible-space theory, territorial perspectives, and the incivilities thesis. The incivilities thesis suggests that offenders take into account social and physical incivilities when deciding which neighborhood to choose as crime targets. Three recent studies involving neighborhoods in Atlanta, Georgia, Baltimore, Maryland, and Hartford, Connecticut, show that the effects of environmental design on crime range from small to moderate. Available research suggests that crime prevention efforts should be directed at the street-block rather than at the neighborhood level of analysis.
An experiment investigates the effect of changes in one factor (the independent variable) on another (the dependent variable). The independent variable is under the control of the researcher. A randomized experiment is one in which people (or other units) are assigned to conditions according to a table of random numbers, with every person having the same probability of being assigned to each condition. These experiments are especially useful for testing causal hypotheses. Their unique advantage over other methods is their high internal validity, or high ability to demonstrate the effect of one factor on another. The randomization ensures that people assigned to one condition are equivalent in every possible way to those assigned to another condition, within the limits of statistical fluctuation. Despite their methodological advantages, very few randomized experiments have been carried out on crime and justice topics. Most have investigated the effects of providing special help for offenders, and in most cases this help proved no more effective in reducing reoffending than did existing alternative treatment methods. It is difficult to arrange randomized experiments because program administrators are unwilling to relinquish control of assignment to experimenters, and because of ethical problems of denial of treatment. Randomized experiments are most feasible when the effects of a treatment are unknown and when it is impossible to treat everyone. Because of their high internal validity, hypotheses should be tested, and technologies should be evaluated, using randomized experiments whenever possible.
The “crime prevention through environmental design” approach suggests that the public's fear of crime might be reduced through redesigning the built environment. Two studies are reported examining the relationship between fear and the environment. The first study, an inventory of unsafe places, provides an answer to the question that characteristics mainly determine the perceived lack of safety of a location. Results suggest that unsafe places are particularly those that are quiet and deserted and are poorly lighted. In the second study, an experiment, the impact of improved street lighting on fear, subjective victimization risks, and the perceived likelihood of bystander intervention is evaluated. Results suggest that increases in the level of street lighting decrease fear and the other parameters. Some policy implications are discussed.
In this review of 122 evaluations of crime prevention projects, the measures evaluated were grouped into six general categories: campaigns and publicity; policing and other surveillance; environmental design or improvement; social and community services; security devices; target removal or modification. Using objective indices of crime, about half of the measures evaluated were found to be effective. Successes were documented in all six categories of measures, but target removal or modification enjoyed the largest number of successes and social and community services the least.
This article examines the argument that crime prevention programs which stress opportunity reduction or increased risk to offenders are without value because they merely displace crime—that is, shift its incidence to other forms, times, and locales. The paper is based in part on two empirical studies that examined the criminal histories of and interviews with 146 robbers and burglars.
Deterministic and opportunistic criminal behavior and the influence of personality, age, and crime type on the displace ment potential of various offenders are analyzed. The results suggest that there are definite limits to various displacement possibilities. Some crimes are so opportunistic that their pre vention in one circumstance will not lead to their occurrence in another. Even in instances where offenders blocked in one sphere would wish to operate in another, limits and costs will lessen the frequency of operation and therefore reduce the overall crime rate.
The study further suggests that the limitations to displace ment are most salient for specific types of crimes, criminals, and geographic areas. Thus the displacement potential of an anticrime strategy can be gauged in advance and, in certain instances, be minimized.
Two research projects were carried out to investigate the effects of improved street lighting on crime in Dudley and Stoke-on-Trent. In Dudley, crimes decreased by 41% in the experimental area, compared with a 15% decrease in a control area. In Stoke, crimes decreased by 43% in the experimental area and by 45% in two adjacent areas, compared with a decrease of only 2% in two control areas. In the two projects, the financial savings (from reduced crimes) exceeded the financial costs by between 2.4 and 10 times after one year. It is concluded that improved street lighting can be extremely cost-effective.
Concern about crime victimisation and the fear of victimisation has traditionally centred on the elderly, particularly on older women. It is unquestioningly assumed that young people- particularly young men - are mostly fearless, and that even when fearful, unamenable to change. Research carried out among a student population in Glasgow shows that both assumptions may well be false. Student pedestrians of both sexes can be very fearful of victimisation, and improved lighting can considerably lessen these fears.
This paper recommends a method of evaluating a community crime prevention program called Communities that Care. The distinctive feature of this program is that it systematically assesses local risk factors for youth crime and implements tried and tested prevention strategies to tackle them. The evaluation design involves comparing experimental and control communities and taking measures of key outcome variables (crime, delinquency, substance abuse and adolescent problem behaviour) before and after the intervention package. The design is justified by reference to internal validity, methods of statistical analysis are discussed, and previous community crime prevention programs in the UK are reviewed.
The main aim of this research was to assess the effect of improved street lighting on crime. In Dudley, victimisation surveys were carried out before and after improved lighting in experimental and control areas. A similar study was carried out in Stoke-on-Trent, but crime rates were studied in experimental, adjacent and control areas. In both places, the prevalence and incidence of crime decreased after the improved lighting in the experimental area compared with the control area. There was also a decrease in crime in the adjacent area in Stoke, suggesting diffusion of benefits from the experimental area. There was no change in police-recorded crime in Stoke. Cost-benefit analyses showed that the tangible savings from crimes prevented more than paid off the full capital costs of the improved lighting within one year.
Applying CPTED (Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design) strategies to schools can significantly contribute to a safer learning environment by influencing the behaviour of students and visitors. CPTED has three overlapping primary concepts that are intended to reduce opportunities for crime as well as fear of crime: access control, surveillance and territorial reinforcement.
The impact of crime prevention on commercial burglary in a section of Portland, Oregon is assessed. Using time series analysis, and a control area for comparison, some of the problems of previous crime prevention research are addressed. The results of the study discussed show that not only was there a significant reduction in commercial burglary, but the effect persisted. Several rival hypotheses which could explain this reduction are rejected and suggestions for future research are offered.
The main aim of this research is to evaluate the impact of improved street lighting on crime in a local authority housing estate in Dudley, West Midlands. It is argued that high quality evaluation designs, for example, comparing experimental and control areas and including before and after measures of crime, are needed to evaluate situational crime prevention initiatives. Previously, in a design of this kind using household victimization surveys to measure crime, we demonstrated that crime decreased after the street lighting was improved. The main aim of this paper is to investigate whether the same results are obtained in a self-report survey of young people, also given in experimental and control areas before and after the improved street lighting. It is argued that self-reported delinquency is a valid and reliable measure of offending. The self-report results corroborated the victimization survey results in showing that offending decreased in the experimental area compared to the control area. Also, the young people thought
This article has been published in the journal, Crime Prevention Studies [© Criminal Justice Press]. Consideration of the literature concerning street lighting effects on crime yields the following conclusions: (1) Precisely targeted increases in street lighting generally have crime reduction effects. (2)More general increases in street lighting seem to have crime prevention effects, but this outcome is not universal. Older and U.S. research yield fewer positive results than more recent U.K. research. (3) Even untargeted increases in crime prevention generally make residents less fearful of crime or more confident of their own safety at night. (4) In the most recent and sophisticated studies, street lighting improvements are associated with crime reductions in the daytime as well as during the hours of darkness. (5) The debate about lighting effects has served to preclude a more refined analysis of the means by and circumstances in which lighting might reduce crime. Our aim should now be to use context-appropriate lighting schemes as part of a full repertoire of crime reduction tactics. Recommendations based upon a strategic view of current crime reduction policy are made about how lighting effects could be darified and elaborated. The provisions of the British Crime and Disorder Act 1998 constitute a potential vehicle for lighting programmes operating within crime reduction schemes generally.
The effectiveness of crime deterrence projects such as increased street lighting in ghetto environments has been questioned. The present study not only examines whether increased street lighting in fact reduces crime, but also investigates the attitudes towards local government of citizens who live within that particular environment. The findings illustrate that it would be advisable for governments to address citizen attitudes before undertaking certain crime prevention projects.
Improving city streets for use at night: The Norfolk experiment. Nor-folk, VA: Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority Final evaluation report of the "High Intensity Street Lighting Program
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Street lighting and crime: Diffusion of benefits in the Stoke-on-Trent project Sur-veillance of public space: CCTV, street lighting and crime prevention Evaluating situational crime prevention using a young people's survey
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Throwing light on crime: A study of the relationship between street lighting and crime prevention
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The effect of better street lighting on crime and fear: A review (Crime Prevention Unit Paper No. 29.) London: Home Office
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Practical meta-analysis
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A bright answer to the crime and energy question. The Police Chief
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Costs and benefits of preventing crime
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Street lighting, crime and fear of crime: A summary of re-search Preventing crime and disorder: Targeting strate-gies and responsibilities
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Painter, K. A. (1996). Street lighting, crime and fear of crime: A summary of re-search. In T. H. Bennett (Ed.), Preventing crime and disorder: Targeting strate-gies and responsibilities (pp. 313-351), Cambridge, England: Institute of Criminology, University of Cambridge.
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The impact of street lighting on street crime
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Situational crime prevention Building a safer society: Strategic approaches to crime prevention
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