NCJ Number
89120
Date Published
1981
Length
54 pages
Annotation
The Minnesota Rural Crime Prevention Demonstration Project set up demonstration programs in six rural counties to develop crime prevention strategies especially suited for rural areas. The project successfully used local residents working part-time to establish the programs under the joint supervision of county sheriffs and the Minnesota Crime Prevention Center.
Abstract
Subordinating the planning process to community action allowed the programs to achieve successful activity levels at the expense of involving many citizens in the planning process. The project's 1-year duration was inadequate to do both extensive planning and achieve high activity levels, although activity levels were generally good. The programs were successful in using part-time workers, although the 10-hour per week limit onsite staff was too long. Civilian crime prevention workers seem to perform more effectively than law enforcement ones. Awareness of crime and crime prevention has probably increased in the demonstration counties, and some crime prevention programs can be institutionalized in local organizations. Other findings and recommendations are given. Footnotes and tables are provided.