NCJ Number
167599
Date Published
1996
Length
166 pages
Annotation
This study evaluates the effects on the public and the cost- effectiveness of the National Citizens' Crime Prevention media campaign.
Abstract
The overall goal of the campaign was to motivate citizens to take positive actions to protect themselves, strengthen social bonds, and assert a shared community pride, leading to less tolerance of crime as well as drug abuse. This evaluation examined how and to what extent the media campaign has been used in local crime prevention efforts, as well as to what extent audiences are exposed to the media campaign, are attentive to it, and are responsive to it. Further, the evaluation considered the extent to which the media campaign influenced the crime and drug prevention competencies of targeted audiences. Finally, the research determined the costs of the media program and how its impact can be addressed in terms of benefits and efficiencies for crime and drug abuse prevention. The findings show an increase in popularity and effectiveness of the campaign over a decade, showing a persistence, consistency of impact, and broadness of scope that was not expected based on previous research. These indicators of success are not without qualification, however, and recommendations are offered for future crime prevention programs, with implications for information campaigns generally. 86 references and a subject index