REDUCING RESIDENTIAL CRIME AND FEAR - THE HARTFORD (CT) NEIGHBORHOOD CRIME PREVENTION PROGRAM

• NCJ Number: 59257
• Author(s): F J FOWLER; M E MCCALLA; T W MANGIONE
• Date Published: 1979
• Length: 332 pages
• Grant Number(s): 73-NI-99-0044-G; 75-NI-99-0026
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of Justice; US Dept of Justice NIJ Pub
• Corporate Author: Hartford Institute of Criminal and Social Justice
• Sale Source: Superintendent of Documents, GPO; National Institute of Justice/
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

THIS TECHNICAL RESEARCH DESCRIBES A COMPREHENSIVE CRIME CONTROL PLANNING/DEMONSTRATION/EVALUATION PROJECT CONDUCTED IN AN URBAN RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOOD IN HARTFORD, CONN.

Abstract

BEGUN IN 1973, THE HARTFORD PROJECT SET OUT TO ASSESS THE NATURE OF CRIME IN THE NORTH ASYLUM HILL TARGET AREA AND TO IDENTIFY ITS CONTRIBUTING FACTORS. THE PREMISE OF THE PROJECT WAS THAT THE ANALYSIS OF THE PROBLEM AND THE PROPOSED SOLUTION SHOULD TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THE PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT, THE POLICE AND THE CITIZENS, AND THAT AN INTEGRATED APPROACH TO CRIME REDUCTION WAS MORE LIKELY TO SUCCEED THAN AN APPROACH THAT OMITTED EITHER THE PHYSICAL DESIGN, THE POLICE, OR COMMUNITY RESIDENTS. A NUMBER OF FEATURES OF THE PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT CONTRIBUTED TO THE BREAKDOWN OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD'S RESIDENTIAL CHARACTER. CARS AND PEDESTRIANS PASSING THROUGH THE AREA DOMINATED THE STREETS AND DEPERSONALIZED THEM. THE STREETS BELONGED MORE TO OUTSIDERS THAN TO RESIDENTS, CREATING AN IDEAL ENVIRONMENT FOR POTENTIAL OFFENDERS. TO REDUCE CRIME IN THE AREA, A THREE-PART PROGRAM, IMPLEMENTED IN 1976, INCLUDED (1) CLOSING AND NARROWING STREETS TO REDUCE OUTSIDE TRAFFIC AND INCREASE RESIDENTIAL CHARACTER; (2) INSTITUTING A NEIGHBORHOOD POLICE UNIT WITH STRONG RELATIONSHIPS TO THE RESIDENTS; (3) CREATING AND ENCOURAGING AREA ORGANIZATIONS TO WORK WITH POLICE AND TO INITIATE RESIDENTS' EFFORTS TO IMPROVE THE NEIGHBORHOOD. AFTER 1 YEAR OF THE PROGRAM, AN EVALUATION REVEALED THAT BURGLARY HAD DECREASED BY 42 PERCENT IN THE TARGET AREA, INSTANCES OF ROBBERY (PURSE SNATCHING) WERE REDUCED BY 28 PERCENT, AND FEAR OF BURGLARY AND ROBBERY HAD DECREASED AS WELL. ALL OF THE PROGRAM COMPONENTS PLAYED A ROLE IN REDUCING CRIME, ALTHOUGH INCREASED RESIDENT USE OF NEIGHBORHOOD STREETS AND OPEN SPACES AND INCREASED EFFORTS TO CONTROL NEIGHBORHOOD ACTIVITY APPEARED TO BE THE MOST SIGNIFICANT REASONS FOR THE INITIAL SUCCESS OF THE PROGRAM. THE PHYSICAL CHANGES THAT WERE IMPLEMENTED APPEARED TO BE ESSENTIAL IN ACHIEVING SUCCESSFUL RESULTS. EXTENSIVE STATISTICAL DATA AND REFERENCE NOTES ACCOMPANY THE TEXT.