NCJ Number
121395
Date Published
Unknown
Length
22 pages
Annotation
Public information campaigns have become a staple of contemporary crime prevention programs.
Abstract
The use of mass media to promote more active citizen involvement in reducing crime has emerged as a major component of criminal justice policy over the past 20 years. Media tend to be more effective at building citizen awareness of an issue, while complex attitudinal or behavioral changes are apt to be accelerated by more direct forms of citizen contact and intervention. The development of successful informational and promotional programs in crime prevention and other issue areas remains problematic. Even the most worthwhile efforts depend on diverse approaches for reaching their audiences. Additionally, the programs are typically difficult to evaluate in terms of having achieved their goals. This paper reviews significant research on the most wide-ranging and most evaluated crime prevention campaign called "Take a Bite Out of Crime" or "McGruff." Results indicate that McGruff seems to have had some success in promoting various aspects of crime prevention competence among a fairly wide range of citizens and has served as a centerpiece for preventive efforts at local, statewide, and national levels. McGruff's effectiveness may be tied in part to use of formative research in its design and to the integration of interpersonal and community-level support with the media components. 44 references.