NCJ Number
178537
Journal
Politics and the Life Sciences Volume: 16 Issue: 1 Dated: March 1997 Pages: 48-55
Date Published
1997
Length
8 pages
Annotation
The author explores problems and opportunities presented by the interplay between culture and evolution in the context of motivating and marketing nurturant crime control strategies and looks at motivations for changing existing strategies to deal with crime.
Abstract
Crime control in large social groupings is a cultural adaptation, and evolutionary thinking can help forestall problems related to crime control. For example, child development programs must compete with social control programs for scarce public resources. Both types of programs affect crime rates, but effects of nurturance are lagged while those for protection, avoidance, and deterrence are more immediate. The viability of public health approaches to crime control is discussed. Potential pitfalls associated with placing too much emphasis on the connection between nurturant activities and crime control are identified. The author concludes the public is ready for a nurturant approach to crime control. 16 references, 2 notes, and 5 figures