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Crime prevention has long figured prominently in the scholarly and applied traditions of criminology. Using a socio-historical approach, this article examines the developments of and influences on the concept of crime prevention in the USA over the last century. We argue that crime prevention is a unique social and environmental strategy for reducing crime and is distinct from crime control or punishment. Prevention's main characteristics include a focus on intervening in the first instance – before a crime has been committed – and operating outside of the formal justice system. The historical record of the scholarship and practice of crime prevention in the USA embraces this view. A more current perspective sees crime prevention as the full range of techniques, from prenatal home visits to prison sentences, defined more by its outcome – the prevention of a future criminal event – than its character or approach. A return to the original meaning of prevention is considered.

Spending on prisons is at an all time high in the United States. These costs are proving unsustainable, causing a substantial drain on state and local government budgets and diverting scarce resources from critical sectors like education, health, and welfare. Early prevention of delinquency and later offending represents a viable public policy option to the present focus on punishment, and some governments are beginning to take notice. This article reviews the highest-quality research on the economic benefits and costs of early prevention compared with imprisonment. It finds that there is a growing body of scientific research that shows that early prevention is an effective and worthwhile investment of public resources; a number of landmark, comprehensive economic studies demonstrate the value of early prevention and other alternatives compared to imprisonment; and a new crop of research studies are forging important insights on the economics of prison and alternative strategies. Implications for policy are discussed.

This article reports on the findings of a systematic review--incorporating meta-analytic techniques--of the available research evidence on the effects of closed-circuit television (CCTV) on crime in public space. A number of targeted and comprehensive searches of the published and unpublished literature and contacts with leading researchers produced twenty-two CCTV evaluations that met our criteria for inclusion in this review. CCTV had a significant desirable effect on crime, although the overall reduction in crime was a rather small 4 percent. All nine studies showing evidence of a desirable effect of CCTV on crime were carried out in the United Kingdom. Conversely, the other nine studies showing no evidence of any desirable effect of CCTV on crime included all five North American studies. CCTV was most effective in reducing crime in car parks. It had no effect on violent crimes but had a significant desirable effect on vehicle crimes.

This article reports on the findings of a systematic review -- incorporating meta-analytic techniques -- of the available research evidence on the effects of closed-circuit television (CCTV) on crime in public space. A number of targeted & comprehensive searches of the published & unpublished literature & contacts with leading researchers produced twenty-two CCTV evaluations that met our criteria for inclusion in this review. CCTV had a significant desirable effect on crime, although the overall reduction in crime was a rather small 4%. All nine studies showing evidence of a desirable effect of CCTV on crime were carried out in the United Kingdom. Conversely, the other nine studies showing no evidence of any desirable effect of CCTV on crime included all five North American studies. CCTV was most effective in reducing crime in car parks. It had no effect on violent crimes but had a significant desirable effect on vehicle crimes. 5 Tables, 1 Figure, 49 References. [Copyright 2003 Sage Publications, Inc.]

This article brings together the main conclusions from the previous articles in this issue & identifies priorities for moving toward an evidence-based approach to preventing crime. The Campbell Collaboration Crime & Justice Group has begun the important task of preparing systematic reviews of the effectiveness of a wide range of criminological interventions. Alongside the Campbell initiative, a program of research of new crime prevention & intervention experiments & quasi-experiments needs to be launched. Efforts must also be made to confront the challenges of getting research evidence into policy & practice. Here, political & policy considerations need to be faced. 1 Appendix, 40 References. [Copyright 2001 Sage Publications, Inc.]

Discusses methods and findings of studies on criminological interventions, such as early parent training to prevent delinquency in children, hot spots policing, correctional boot camps, cognitive behavioral programs, and evidence-based crime prevention; 9 articles. Based on papers from the 2001 Jerry Lee Crime Prevention Symposium, held in early Apr. 2001 at the University of Maryland, College Park, and the US capitol building in Washington, D.C. Includes meta-analysis.

Experimental criminology is a part of a larger and increasingly expanding scientific research and evidence-based movement in social policy. The essays in this volume report on new and innovative contributions that experimental criminology is making to basic scientific knowledge and public policy. Contributors explore cutting-edge experimental and quasi-experimental methods and their application to important and topical issues in criminology and criminal justice, including neurological predictors of violence, peer influence on delinquency, routine activities and capable guardianship, early childhood prevention programs, hot spots policing, and correctional treatment for juvenile and adult offenders. It is the first book to examine the full scope of experimental criminology, from experimental tests - in the field and in the laboratory - of criminological theories and concepts to experimental and quasi-experimental evaluations of crime prevention and criminal justice interventions

Background:Focused deterrence strategies attempt to increase punishment risks faced by violent gangs through the development of new and creative ways of deploying traditional and non-traditional law enforcement tools. In addition to increasing the swiftness and certainty of sanctions, these strategies explicitly communicate incentives and disincentives to deter likely gang offenders from violent behavior.Objective:This study seeks to determine whether focused deterrence strategies generate spillover deterrent effects on the gun violence behaviors of vicariously treated gangs that were socially tied to directly treated violent gangs.Research Design:A nonrandomized quasi-experimental design was used to evaluate the gun violence reduction effects of focused deterrence strategies on directly treated gangs and vicariously treated gangs. Propensity score matching techniques were used to identify balanced comparison gangs for the vicariously treated gangs. Growth curve regression models were used to analyze gun violence trends for treated gangs relative to comparison gangs.Unit of Analysis:Quarterly counts of fatal and non-fatal shootings involving specific street gangs between 2006 and 2010 served as the units of analysis.Measures:Key outcome measures included quarterly shootings committed by specific gangs, shooting victimizations suffered by specific gangs, and the total number of shootings involving specific gangs.Results:The focused deterrence strategy was associated with statistically significant reductions in total shootings by directly treated gangs and vicariously treated gangs.Conclusions:Our study finds that vicariously treated gangs were deterred by the treatment experiences of their rivals and allies. This suggests that focused deterrence strategies can generate spillover crime reduction effects to gangs that are socially connected to directly treated gangs.

Systematic reviews and cost-benefit analyses of correctional interventions are important topics in corrections in the 21st century. Systematic reviews include explicit objectives, explicit criteria for including or excluding evaluation studies, exhaustive searches for eligible studies, and a structured and detailed report. The Campbell Collaboration Crime and Justice Group will prepare, maintain, and make accessible systematic reviews of the effects of criminological interventions. Systematic reviews show that correctional programs are generally effective in reducing reoffending. A small number of cost-benefit analyses show that the financial benefits of correctional programs often exceed their financial costs.