Evaluation of the Urban Crime Prevention Program - Executive Summary

• NCJ Number: 93568
• Author(s): J A Roehl; R F Cook
• Date Published: 1984
• Length: 29 pages
• Contract Number(s): J-LEAA-002-81
• Sponsoring Agency: National Institute of Justice (NIJ); US Dept of Justice NIJ Pub
• Corporate Author: Institute for Social Analysis
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/; National Institute of Justice/
• Publication Type: Program/Project Evaluation
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

The neighborhood orientation of the Urban Crime Prevention Program (UCPP), combined with the establishment of working partnerships with other agencies, offers promise for combating urban crime.

Abstract

UCPP, initiated in 1980 by ACTION and LEAA, was designed to combat urban crime through the establishment of 85 innovative neighborhood-based crime prevention projects across 9 cities for 18 months. The main goals of UCPP were to increase the participation of citizens in innovative neighborhood crime prevention efforts, to bolster the capabilities of neighborhood groups, and to forge working partnerships between these groups and related agencies and institutions. The 2-year evaluation focused on four principal types of crime prevention projects -- property crime prevention, victim/witness services, arson prevention, and dispute settlement. The most effective crime prevention approaches were the property crime and arson prevention projects, primarily because they were based on the organization of citizens through neighborhood groups. These projects were generally successful in gaining citizen involvement, bolstering their capabilities in prevention, and establishing working partnerships with other agencies. However, many of the UCPP projects had difficulty with the more complex approaches, particularly if the project was located in a deteriorated neighborhood. The following four actions are needed: the organizing of citizens as a major emphasis of community crime prevention programs, establishment of strong working partnerships between neighborhood-based crime prevention efforts and relevant criminal justice agencies, training and technical assistance for neighborhood crime prevention groups, and continued support of neighborhood-based crime prevention strategies. A series of research recommendations are presented; eight references are attached. (Author abstract modified)