NCJ Number
84597
Journal
Impact Issue: 1 Dated: (1982) Pages: 21-31
Date Published
1982
Length
11 pages
Annotation
While reviews of the literature indicate that neither positive nor defensive approaches per se have been demonstrated to be cost-effective measures of reducing crime and delinquency, research supports the situational approach.
Abstract
The value of this approach is that it is not tied to one particular type of prevention strategy and that it allows for strategies of intervention to stem from the detailed analyses of specific crimes or delinquent behaviors in specific settings. Positive approaches focus both on changing the environmental conditions that predispose individuals to crime and changing persons identified as potential offenders in order to reduce the likelihood of their involvement in crime or delinquency. While positive approaches may be socially beneficial, few proper evaluations of the effects of such measures on crime and delinquency have been made. Defensive approaches came into vogue following criticism about rehabilitation programs for offenders and about positive crime prevention approaches. They are based on the work of Jane Jacobs and Oscar Newman. The situational approach is not wedded to either positive or defensive measures, but tries to develop appropriate strategies to deal with a specific problem. It has been used successfully in Great Britain to fight meter theft and telephone booth vandalism and in the United States, to control residential burglary in Seattle, Wash. About 35 references are given.