55 research outputs found
Guardianship for crime prevention: A critical review of the literature
Cohen and Felson’s (Cohen and Felson American Sociological Review 44(4):588–608, 1979) routine activity theory posits that for a crime to occur three necessary elements must converge in time and space: motivated offenders, suitable targets, and the absence of capable guardianship. Capable guardians can serve as a key actor in the crime event model; one who can disrupt, either directly or indirectly, the interaction between a motivated offender and a suitable target. This article critically reviews the literature on guardianship for crime prevention. Our specific focus is two-fold: (1) to review the way guardianship has been operationalized and measured, and (2) to review experimental and quasi-experimental evaluations and field tests of guardianship. Research on routine activities has had an uneven focus resulting in the neglect of the guardianship component (Reynald Crime Prevention and Community Safety 11(1):1–20, 2009; Sampson et al. Security Journal 23(1):37–51, 2010; Tewksbury and Mustaine Criminal Justice and Behavior 30(3):302–327, 2003; Wilcox et al. Criminology 45(4):771–803 2007). Evaluations of guardianship-related interventions demonstrate support for the theoretical construct; however, high-quality field tests of guardianship are wholly lacking. Implications for theory and research are discussed
The effectiveness of neighborhood watch
Background: Neighborhood watch (also known as block watch, apartment watch, home watch and
community watch) grew out of a movement in the US during the late 1960s that promoted
greater involvement of citizens in the prevention of crime. Since then, interest in
neighborhood watch has grown considerably and recent estimates suggest that over a quarter
of the UK population and over forty per cent of the US population live in areas covered by
neighborhood watch schemes.
Objectives: The primary aim of this review is to assess the effectiveness of neighborhood watch in
reducing crime
Serious (violent or chronic) juvenile offenders: A systematic review of treatment effectiveness in secure corrections
Positive results in reducing future offender were found for some of the programs examined that
serve serious (violent or chronic) juvenile offenders in secure corrections. Considering this
general outcome, it is justifiable to continue treating this population. We found that programs
were more effective at reducing serious recidivism than in reducing general recidivism. This
finding shows the importance of including serious recidivism as an outcome measure of efficacy
in all the programmes oriented to reduce the delinquent behaviour of serious offenders. Chronic
and violent offenders are a small part of the offender population yet they are responsible for a
substantive portion of all offenses. Reducing the delinquent behaviour of this group through
secure correctional programming is clearly important that this review suggests that such
programs can be effective
School-Based Programs to Reduce Bullying and Victimization
School bullying has serious short-term and long-term effects on children’s physical
and mental health. Various anti-bullying programs have been implemented world
wide and, more rarely, evaluated. Previous narrative reviews, summarizing the work
done on bullying prevention, as well as previous meta-analyses of anti-bullying
programs, are limited. The definition of school bullying includes several key
elements: physical, verbal, or psychological attack or intimidation that is intended
to cause fear, distress, or harm to the victim; an imbalance of power (psychological
or physical), with a more powerful child (or children) oppressing less powerful ones;
and repeated incidents between the same children over a prolonged period. School
bullying can occur in school or on the way to or from school. It is not bullying when
two persons of the same strength (physical, psychological, or verbal) victimize each
other. This report presents a systematic review and meta-analysis of the effectiveness of
programs designed to reduce school bullying perpetration and victimization (i.e.
being bullied). The authors indicate the pitfalls of previous reviews and explain in
detail how the present systematic review and meta-analysis addresses the gaps in
the existing literature on bullying prevention
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