CRIME PREVENTION THROUGH ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN - FINAL REPORT ON SCHOOLS DEMONSTRATION, BROWARD COUNTY, FLORIDA

• NCJ Number: 50927
• Author(s): H M KAPLAN; L BICKMAN; E J PESCE; R SZOC
• Date Published: 1978
• Length: 283 pages
• Contract Number(s): J-LEAA-022-74
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of Justice; US Dept of Justice NIJ Pub
• Corporate Author: Westinghouse Electric Corporation
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

A PROGRAM KNOWN AS CRIME PREVENTION THROUGH ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN (CPTED) WAS FUNED BY THE LEAA AND IMPLEMENTED IN BORWARD COUNTY, FLA., SCHOOLS TO EVALUATE STRATEGIES FOR REDUCING CRIME.

Abstract

THE CPTED CONCEPT HIGHLIGHTS THE INTERACTION BETWEEN HUMAN BEHAVIOR AND THE PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT IN THE PREVENTION OF CRIME AND IN REDUCING THE FEAR OF CRIME. EMPHASIS IS PLACED ON STRATEGIES DESIGNED TO REINFORCE DESIRABLE EXISTING ACTIVITIES, ELIMINATE UNDESIRABLE ACTIVITIES, CREATE NEW ACTIVITIES, OR OTHERWISE SUPPORT DESIRABLE USE PATTERNS SO THAT CRIME PREVENTION BECOMES AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE SPECIFIED ENVIRONMENT. OPERATING HYPOTHESES ON WHICH THE CPTED PROGRAM IS BASED ARE ACCESS CONTROL, SURVEILLANCE, ACTIVITY SUPPORT, AND MOTIVATION REINFORCEMENT. THE SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT WAS CHOSEN AS A GENERAL CATEGORY FOR THE CPTED PROGRAM USING CRIME-RELATED, ENVIRONMENT-RELATED, AND PROGRAM-RELATED CRITERIA. EIGHT OF 20 BROWARD COUNTY HIGH SCHOOLS WERE SELECTED AS DEMONSTRATION SCHOOLS. CRIME DATA FOR THE SCHOOLS FOR 1973-1974 AND 1974-1975 WERE COMBINED WITH DATA GENERATED BY ONSITE VISITS, INTERVIEWS, AND ANALYSIS OF CASE RECORDS. FOUR OF THE EIGHT SCHOOLS WERE STUDIED IN DETAIL AFTER PROJECT PLANNING, IMPLEMENTATION, AND EVALUATION ACTIVITIES WERE INITIATED. THE PROJECT EVALUATION PLAN INCORPORATED A STUDENT VICTIMIZATION AND ATTITUDE SURVEY, AN OBSERVATIONAL METHODOLOGY, CRIME REPORTS, STAGED SUSPICIOUS INCIDENTS, AND INTERVIEWS. ENVIRONMENTAL AREAS OF CONCERN WERE SCHOOL COURTYARDS, BICYCLE PARKING COMPOUNDS, HALLWAYS AND EXTERIOR STAIRWELLS, RESTROOMS, PARKING LOTS, SCHOOL GROUNDS, AND LOCKER ROOMS. THE DEMONSTRATION PROJECT IN SCHOOL WAS, FOR THE MOST PART, IMPLEMENTED AS DESIGNED BUT NOT AS SCHEDULED. THERE WERE MODERATE INCREASES IN ACCESS CONTROL, SURVEILLANCE, ACTIVITY SUPPORT, AND MOTIVATION REINFORCEMENT. KEY LESSONS LEARNED DURING THE PROJECT PERTAINED TO FUNDING SUPPORT, BUREAUCRATIC PROBLEMS, RESISTANCE TO CHANGE, GAPS IN EXPERIENCE, INPUT FROM REAL CONSTITUENCY, THE ASSESSMENT AND MAINTENANCE OF PRIORITIES, AND THE RELATIONSHIP OF STRATEGIES TO CRIME/ENVIRONMENT PROBLEMS. SUPPORTING DATA AND ILLUSTRATIONS ARE INCLUDED THAT PROVIDE INFORMATION ON TYPES OF CRIME AND VICTIMIZATION RATES IN TERMS OF ENVIRONMENTAL AREAS WITHIN THE SCHOOLS. ADDITIONAL PROCEDURAL INFORMATION ON THE SCHOOL DEMONSTRATION PROJECT AND FORMS ARE APPENDED. (DEP)