NCJ Number
86454
Editor(s)
E Ruhlhorn,
B Svensson
Date Published
1981
Length
310 pages
Annotation
This book contains analyses and summaries of crime prevention methods in Sweden, The Netherlands, and West Germany, emphasizing the probable effects of certain measures against crime rather than the causes of criminality.
Abstract
The citizen crime prevention program in Holland and the unsuccessful rape prevention campaign in Bremen, West Germany, were designed to alter the behavior of potential victims. The Swedish program against health insurance fraud was directed against potential criminals, and the proposals for antitheft locks on motor vehicles were intended to reduce opportunities to commit crimes. Anticrime measures are particularly effective when directly controlling the structure of opportunity. For example, Sweden conducted a successful program against check fraud by requiring proof of identity when individuals pay by check. On the other hand, Dutch efforts to prevent residential burglaries by increasing police patrols and public information campaigns were less effective. Crime prevention requires a mix of measures carried out within and without the judicial system. These measures may meet stiff public resistance and should be evaluated at an early stage to decide whether they are producing the desired results. Individual contributions contain notes, references, and study data.