NCJ Number
138646
Date Published
1991
Length
128 pages
Annotation
This report describes 18 community crime prevention programs operated in inner cities and presents the proceedings and conclusions of a national symposium that focused on the role of community organizations in crime control in inner cities.
Abstract
The programs were selected through the National Symposium on Community Institutions and Inner-City Crime Project, which was sponsored by the Police Foundation with a grant from the National Institute of Justice. The project selected the programs from approximately 1,300 programs recommended by national organizations, criminal justice scholars, and government agencies. Questionnaires and site visits gathered detailed information about each project. The programs have several common features. They work to eliminate the causes of crime, build on existing neighborhood resources, work with other community institutions in a cooperative effort, have an identifiable group of clients, and generally target people who have been largely deprived of the privileges common to more affluent communities. They are operated by six types of community institutions: families and friends, schools, churches, businesses, civic groups, and juvenile and criminal justice agencies. The symposium participants agreed that crime is a symptom of other social problems, all community institutions share responsibility for crime control, and policymakers must reevaluate their views about crime causes and solutions. Specific recommendations, appended list of project staff and consultants, and 90 references