NCJ Number
139468
Journal
Reports of the National Research Institute of Police Science Volume: 33 Issue: 1 Dated: (July 1992) Pages: 42-61
Date Published
1992
Length
20 pages
Annotation
This Japanese study identified the characteristics of urban areas that have a high probability of crime and determined what factors to consider in the creation of an urban area with a high degree of defensibility against burglary, robbery, and sex offenses.
Abstract
Offenders were interviewed to determine which areas they would choose and reject for the commission of their crimes. Of those interviewed, 102 had committed burglaries, 63 had committed robberies, and 99 had committed sexual offenses. All but two of the offenders are males. The study found that the city blocks offenders selected for their targets depended on the type of crime the offender intended to commit. Thieves preferred cities, and sex offenders preferred more rural areas. Within cities, thieves chose city centers or the fringes of centers. Most thieves and sex offenders who chose houses as their targets preferred traditional style residential areas as "easy" targets; however, even among thieves, many of those who chose commercial areas as their targets preferred eating and drinking establishments. Of the thieves, those who committed crimes on the street tended to fall somewhere between thieves who preyed on homes and those who preyed on shops. They preferred either areas where residential and commercial areas are mixed or traditional residential areas. Sex offenders who entered houses for their crimes tended to select targets similar to thieves who preyed on houses. When asked to identify those city blocks they would not target due to the difficulty rather than the ease of crime commission, thieves made government office districts their choice, and sex offenders selected either areas where residential and commercial areas are mixed or commercial areas around train stations. 18 tables and 9 references (Author abstract modified)