Updating the Crime Reduction Toolkit: A report and manual

The Crime Reduction Toolkit (CRT) is an online repository of narrative summaries of systematic reviews on crime reduction. This report details the methods used to update the CRT, outlining the systematic process and the numbers of records/items dealt with at each stage

Writing Narratives for the Crime Reduction Toolkit

This document provides step-by-step guidance, agreed by the What Works Centre for Crime Reduction (WWCCR), on the style, format and content required for the narratives on the Crime Reduction Toolkit. These narratives are based on the EMMIE framework (Johnson et al., 2015) which, amongst other things, provides a method for critically appraising systematic reviews and meta-analyses in crime reduction

A victim-centred cost–benefit analysis of a stalking prevention programme

Research suggests that stalking inflicts great psychological and financial costs on victims. Yet costs of victimisation are notoriously difficult to estimate and include as intangible costs in cost–benefit analysis. This study reports an innovative cost–benefit analysis that used focus groups with multi-agency teams to collect detailed data on operational resources used to manage stalking cases. This method is illustrated through the presentation of one case study. Best- and worst-case counterfactual scenarios were generated using the risk assessment scores and practitioner expertise. The findings suggest that intervening in high-risk stalking cases was cost-beneficial to the state in all the case studies we analysed (even if it incurs some institutional costs borne by the criminal justice system or health) and was often cost-beneficial to the victims too. We believe that this method might be useful in other fields where a victim- or client-centred approach is fundamental

Gating Alleys to Reduce Crime: A Meta-Analysis and Realist Synthesis

Alley gates are designed to limit access to alleys and the crime opportunities they afford. Informed by the acronym EMMIE we sought to: (1) systematically review the evidence on whether alley gates are Effective at reducing crime, (2) identify the causal Mechanisms through which alley gates are expected to work and the conditions that Moderate effectiveness, and (3) collate information on the Implementation and Economic costs of alley gating. The results of our meta-analysis suggest that alley gating is associated with modest but significant reductions in burglary, with little evidence of spatial displacement. We also identified six mechanisms through which alley gates might plausibly reduce crime, and the conditions in which such mechanisms are most likely to be activated

A systematic review of tagging as a method to reduce theft in retail environments

Background: Retailers routinely use security tags to reduce theft. Presently, however, there has been no attempt to systematically review the literature on security tags. Guided by the acronym EMMIE, this paper set out to (1) examine the evidence that tags are effective at reducing theft, (2) identify the key mechanisms through which tags are expected to reduce theft and the conditions that moderate tag effectiveness, and (3) summarise information relevant to the implementation and economic costs of tagging. Methods: In this mixed-methods review, we performed systematic keyword searches of the published and unpublished literature, hand searched relevant journals, conducted forward and backward citation searches and consulted with four retailers. Studies were included if they reported an explicit goal of reducing the theft or shrinkage of items through the use of security tags in retail environments. Results: We identified 50 eligible studies, eight of which reported quantitative data on the effectiveness of tags in retail environments. Across these eight studies, five showed positive results associated with the introduction of tags, but heterogeneity in the type of tag and reported outcome measures precluded a meta-analysis. We identified three mechanisms through which tags might plausibly reduce theft-increase the risks, reduce the rewards, increase the effort-which were found to vary by tag type, and their activation dependent on five broad categories of moderator: retail store and staff, customers (including shoplifters), tag type, product type, and the involvement of the police and criminal justice system. Implementation challenges documented in the literature related mainly to staffing issues and tagging strategy. Finally, although estimates are available on the costs of tagging, our searches identified no highquality published economic evaluations of tagging. Conclusions: Through applying the EMMIE framework this review highlighted the complexity involved in security tagging in retail environments, whereby different kinds of tags are expected to reduce theft through different casual mechanisms which are dependent on a distinctive configuration of conditions. Based on the available evidence it is difficult to determine the effectiveness of tags as a theft reduction measure, albeit there is suggestive evidence that more visible tags are associated with greater reductions in theft than less visible tags

How Strong is the Evidence-Base for Crime Reduction End Users?

To support the development and implementation of evidence-based crime reduction, we systematically identified and appraised 70 systematic reviews of single crime reduction measures published between 1975 and 2015. Using the EMMIE framework, we find that the quality of reporting on the Effectiveness of crime reduction measures is reasonably strong, particularly in systematic reviews published by the Cochrane and Campbell Collaborations. In contrast, evidence concerning the Mechanisms underpinning a crime reduction intervention, the conditions that Moderate effectiveness, Implementation challenges and the Economic costs and benefits of crime reduction was largely absent from the assessed systematic reviews. We conclude that there is a distinct lack of systematic review evidence in crime reduction that currently speaks to the knowledge needs of practitioners (i.e., how to make an intervention “work” for them)

Reviewing evidence for evidence-based policing

Evidence-based policing is the use of the best available research on the outcomes of police work to implement guidelines and evaluate agencies, units, and officers. This chapter considers the main sources of research evidence available to support decision-making in the crime prevention field. It discusses four main sources of research evidence: practitioner reports, primary evaluation studies, systematic reviews, and reviews of reviews. The chapter focuses on a sample of systematic reviews of single crime prevention interventions and, using the EMMIE framework. It explores the extent to which the reviews adequately report information on the Effect of intervention, the Mechanisms through which interventions are believed to work, Moderators that may influence the impact of intervention, Implementation issues that may impede or facilitate the intervention, and the Economic costs of interventions. The chapter argues that increase the value of evidence reviews in support of crime prevention. It discusses some practical steps to increase the likelihood of future evidence reviews incorporating the features

A Research Program on Very High Temperature Reactors

Track I: Power GenerationIncludes audio file (27 min.)Prismatic and pebble bed very high-temperature reactors (VHTRs) are very attractive both from a thermodynamic efficiency viewpoint and hydrogen-production capability. This project addresses numerous challenges associated with the fuel cycle, materials, and complex fluid dynamics and heat transfer. The objectives of the project are to: i. Conduct physical experiments for fission product transport phenomena in the overcoating and compact structural graphite and transport through TRISO coating layers; ii. Develop improved sorption measurement techniques to measure the accumulation of condensable radionuclides (“plateout”) in the VHTR primary coolant circuit and obtain representative data; iii. Develop advanced computations of charged, radioactive dust (aerosol) transport in the VHTR coolant circuit and confinement by exploring direct simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) techniques for deposition and resuspension and conduct experiments to verify computational predictions; iv. Develop a program to measure emissivity for various VHTR component materials, both bare and oxidized, and obtain extensive data; v. Develop an experimental program to characterize gas, fission product, and particle flows in the complex geometries of pebble bed modular reactors (PBMRs) and help improve computational approaches and computer programs through experimental understandings. This project is leading to research training of about a dozen Ph D students at the participating universities. Upon graduation, these students will be able to contribute even more effectively to the future challenges in the global deployment of nuclear power generation and hydrogen technologies. We will discuss the VHTR technology and research challenges. We also describe progress on the project by the three Consortium participants