NCJ Number
42254
Date Published
1977
Length
42 pages
Annotation
A HIGH INTENSITY STREET LIGHTING PROGRAM WAS FUNDED BY LEAA IN JULY 1973 AS PART OF AN 11-PROJECT TARGET AREA CRIME SPECIFICS PROGRAM.
Abstract
THIS REPORT, THE SECOND OF TWO EVALUATION STUDIES ON THE EFFECTS OF THE LIGHTING ON NIGHTTIME CRIME RATES, FOCUSES ON AN ANALYSIS OF BUSINESS BURGLARY, AUTO THEFT, AND ASSAULT RATES IN THE TWO POLICE ZONES SELECTED FOR THE EXPERIMENT. OUTCOMES IN THE LIGHTING DISTRICT ARE COMPARED TO OFFENSE DATA FOR TWO ADJACENT 'CONTROL' AREAS, AS WELL AS FOR THE CITY. OFFENSE DATA IS AVAILABLE FOR 51 MONTHS PRIOR TO INSTALLATION OF THE LIGHTS (APRIL 1974), AND 29 MONTHS FOLLOWING INSTALLATION. THREE MEASURES OF CHANGE ARE USED IN THE ANALYSIS: A PRE-POST COMPARISON OF FREQUENCIES, USING THE PERIODS OF 1970-1973 AND 1973-1975; A COMPARISON OF MEANS FOR THE PERIOD PRIOR TO THE INSTALLATION OF LIGHTS WITH THE PERIOD FOLLOWING INSTALLATION; AND AN INTERRUPT TIME SERIES ANALYSIS, USING A FOUR VARIABLE CORRELATION MATRIX, TO COMPARE PREDICTIVE RESULTS AGAINST OBSERVED OUTCOMES. NO POSITIVE EFFECTS WERE OBSERVED IN THE EXPERIMENTAL AREA THAT WERE NOT ALSO VISIBLE BOTH CITY-WIDE AND IN THE ADJACENT AREAS. ALTHOUGH CRIME RATES FOR BUSINESS BURGLARY, AUTO THEFT, AND ASSAULT GENERALLY DECREASED, THE MAGNITUDE OF THAT DECREASE WAS NEARLY ALWAYS GREATER CITY-WIDE AND IN THE ADJACENT AREAS. IT IS CONCLUDED THAT THERE IS NO EVIDENCE THAT STREET LIGHTING AFFECTED THE COMMISSION OF ANY OF THE TARGETED CRIMES. TABULAR DATA IS INCLUDED. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT)...ELW