Getting People To Protect Themselves - Information, Facilitation, Regulatory, and Incentives Strategies (From Policy Implementation, 1980, P 113-130, John Brigham and Don W Brown, ed. - See NCJ-74975)

• NCJ Number: 74978
• Author(s): J A Gardiner; G I Balch
• Date Published: 1980
• Length: 18 pages
• Contract Number(s): 8-0463-J
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of Justice; US Dept of Justice NIJ Pub
• Sale Source: Sage Publications, Inc
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This paper illustrates various change-inducing strategies to promote crime prevention behaviors (CPB's) among prospective crime victims, who often refuse or neglect to take advantage of these measures.

Abstract

The article analyzes various types of crime prevention measures, some of which must be taken by potential victims, others by other agencies (e.g., landlords, police, neighbors, and communities). Potential victims are often reluctant to adopt CPB's that involve effort, changes in habits, or annoying complexities. Other crime prevention service providers, such as landlords, may have other priorities. Some strategies to encourage crime prevention behaviors include information (to increase awareness of CPB's and to show their usefulness to all potential users), facilitation strategies, and regulation (by making certain CPB's mandatory). A final strategy is to increase the attractiveness of CPB's relative to other behaviors, such as tax deductions for home security devices. Government intervention in people's lives to induce crime prevention behaviors raises ethical questions because intervention can cause crime displacement (from a hardened target to easier ones), mobilization of fear, and conflict with other social goals.) A table, a diagram, notes, and 36 references are appended. For related articles, see NCJ 74975.