Analysis for Intervention (From Handbook of Crime Prevention and Community Safety, P 629-673, 2005, Nick Tilley, ed, -- See NCJ-214069)

• NCJ Number: 214090
• Author(s): Alex Hirschfield
• Date Published: 2005
• Length: 45 pages
• Sale Source: Willan Publishing
• Publication Format: Book Chapter
• Publication Type: Issue Overview
• Language: English
• Country: United Kingdom

Annotation

This chapter explores crime pattern analysis for preventive purposes.

Abstract

Two types of knowledge must be brought to bear when addressing crime problems: knowledge of the nature of the crime problem and knowledge of the available interventions and crime prevention strategies for addressing the problem. The author begins with a discussion of what is meant by “intervention” and enumerates how an understanding of crime patterns and crime theories can illuminate the most appropriate crime prevention strategies to undertake for particular crime problems. The following section focuses on the different types of crime analysis that are used to identify the nature of crime problems. The author presents a crime analysis framework that delineates crime analysis techniques according to their breadth and scale. Any type of crime analysis will necessarily be dependent on data about crime. The author introduces different types of secondary data sources that can be used to analyze crime problems, focusing on their quality, access, and availability. In the next section, the types of aggregate data analysis generally employed to profile crime problems within particular areas are explored, with an emphasis on the identification of significantly high crime and significantly low crime areas. The author also focuses on identifying the mix of crimes particular to different communities and on measuring whether crime is dispersed relatively evenly throughout an area or if it is concentrated into a number of smaller, discrete areas. The chapter next turns to a discussion of the types of crime analysis possible using disaggregate data on crime, particularly in terms of the role of geographical information systems and spatial analysis. Examples are offered that illustrate the types of data and analysis techniques necessary for different types of crime prevention targeting. In closing, the author considers the knowledge and skills necessary to conduct crime analysis for preventive purposes. Tables, figures, box, references