Crime Prevention and Criminological Research
Domain 4 - Crime Prevention and Criminological Research examines why crime occurs, what interventions work, and how to test claims with evidence.
Core rules
- Classical theory emphasizes free will, deterrence, certainty, and severity of punishment. Positivist theory looks to biological, psychological, and social causes. Strain theory links crime to blocked goals; social control theory asks why people conform; differential association explains crime as learned behavior; routine activity theory focuses on a motivated offender, suitable target, and absent guardian.
- Prevention is primary, before crime; secondary, aimed at at-risk groups or places; and tertiary, after offending. Situational prevention changes the environment; social development prevention addresses root causes. CPTED uses natural surveillance, access control, territorial reinforcement, and maintenance.
- Research must state a problem, review theory, define variables, choose a design, sample ethically, and analyze data. Correlation is not causation. Validity asks whether you measure what you claim; reliability asks whether results are consistent.
Worked example
A campus reports bicycle thefts. Using routine activity theory, the analyst identifies unlocked racks, poor lighting, and no guardian. A CPTED plan adds guarded racks, lighting, cameras, and registration. Evaluation compares theft rates before and after and checks displacement to nearby racks. If thefts fall only at the treated rack but rise next door, displacement may explain part of the result.
Traps
Do not merge crime prevention with crime detection. Do not claim a program works from a single before-and-after count without a comparison. Do not ignore displacement, reporting bias, or sampling bias. Do not present a theory as a proven cause without evidence.