NCJ Number
193596
Date Published
2002
Length
30 pages
Annotation
This paper examines the role of crime prevention in the American K-12 school system.
Abstract
The paper claims that the perception of increased school crime is false. While violence at school is less common than portrayed in the media, it is still a problem. However, evidence suggests that prevention and early intervention efforts can reduce violence in schools. Crime prevention efforts can be divided into three main types: Primary--to avoid the development of initial societal problems that may lead to crime; Secondary--to avoid the development of problems in individuals and specific places where it is most likely to happen; and Tertiary--to avoid the recurrence of problems in individuals and specific places where it has already happened. Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) refers to changing factors in any environment in an effort to prevent or reduce crime, reduce fear of crime and perceptions of crime risks, increase the aesthetic quality of an environment, and increase the quality of life for law-abiding citizens, especially by reducing the propensity of the physical environment to support criminal behavior. The paper examines how CPTED has been and is being used in American elementary and secondary schools to meet these objectives. Figures, tables, references, appendixes