NCJ Number
226359
Date Published
December 2008
Length
62 pages
Annotation
This guide assists community-policing officers in deciding whether improved lighting is an appropriate response to a crime or disorder problem that might be confronting a particular neighborhood or community.
Abstract
In discussing how improved lighting might influence crime rates, information is provided on how lighting can either reduce or increase crime or both in both nighttime and daytime. Improved lighting reduces crime by increasing the risk that potential offenders will be observed and by making it more likely that residents will be involved in outdoor activities in the evening that increases informal surveillance of the neighborhood. Lighting may increase crime by increasing the number of people walking at night, thus enabling potential offenders to observe their vulnerability for robbery or sexual assault. Better lit streets might also draw youth from other areas to congregate in well-lit areas. The complexity of the decision about whether to install street lighting is noted by the most recent review of lighting studies. It concludes that the effects are likely to be greater if the existing lighting is poor and if the improvement in lighting is considerable. The effects may also vary by the characteristics of the area or the residents, the design of the area, the design of the lighting, and the places that are illuminated. A review of the use police have made of improved street lighting describes projects that have focused on crime and disorder in deprived, rundown neighborhoods. Also discussed are the practicalities of improving lighting, such as cost and funding sources, the selection of appropriate lighting, and objections by residents and others. A checklist of decisionmaking tasks addresses analysis of the problem, formulation of a plan, getting support, implementing the plan, and assessing effectiveness. 2 boxes, 2 tables, 12 endnotes and 13 references