Chapter 12

Chapter 13Crime Control in the Community and in Schools

1Two ways to view community crime controlCrime control through financial assistance to communitiesEnterprise zonesCommunity development block grantsWeed and seedCrime control by members of the communityCommunity Crime Control

2What is the social ecological model of crime?Seeks to explain aggregate crime ratesPredictorsPovertyMobilityRaceDensityFamilial breakdown

The Social Ecology of Crime

3Crime is concentrated in impoverished areasPoverty tends to be linked to crime, but the relationship may be mediated by other factors, such as mobilityPoverty

4What is population mobility?TurnoverHow could mobility influence crime?May lead to a reduction in informal social controlMobility and Change

5Consensus in the literature is that the percentage of blacks in a community is associated with the incidence of violent crimeThe relationship may be mediated by such factors asFamily compositionPovertyMobilityRacial Composition

6Density is not the same as mobilityDensity is concerned with the how crowded neighborhoods areHow could density influence crime?More crime where there are more peopleCrowding could lead to frustrationPopulation Density

7Family disruption tends to be linked to crimeMeasuresPercentage of single mother householdsFemale-headed householdsDivorce rateWhat is the pathway to crime?Low parental supervisionFamilial Breakdown

8Combining the foregoing explanations of community crime rates together yields social disorganization theoryA recent offshoot of social disorganization theory is the notion of collective efficacyShared expectations and mutual engagementSocial Disorganization and Collective Efficacy

9What is concentrated disadvantage?It is a combination ofPovertyFamily disruptionRacial compositionConcentrated Disadvantage

10So far we have only conceived of community structure causing crimeWhat if crime alters community structure?Crime appears to affectFearWithdrawalDecisions to moveCommunities and Crime: A Two-Way Relationship?

11Three such efforts have been popularEnterprise zonesCommunity Development Block GrantsWeed and SeedFinancial Assistance to Communities

12Enterprise zones are economically depressed areas where incentives are provided to employers such that job development is encouragedAre enterprise zones effective?Researchers have mostly looked at employment levels and job creation, not crimeEnterprise Zones

13The Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program was created in 1974Managed by HUD todayProvides formula grants through several channelsEffects on crime?No one has appeared to study the effects of the CDBG program on crimeCommunity Development Block Grants

14Weed and seed differs from enterprise zones and CDBG because it Contains an enforcement component (weeding)Is run by the U.S. Justice DepartmentIs concerned withPrevention, intervention, and treatmentNeighborhood restorationWhat does the research show?Evidence is mixedDoubtful $200,000 grants can do too muchWeed and Seed

15Much community crime control takes place without financial assistance Community mobilizationAnti-gang initiativesYouth mentoringAfter school programsPublicity campaignsOther Methods of Community Crime Control

16Much crime control also takes place in our nations schoolsWhy?To fill the void left by parents/guardians who cannot always supervise their childrenTo make schools saferTo shape childrens behaviorMethodsTargeting studentsTargeting the school environmentSchool-Based Crime Control

17Some schools are run better than othersWho cares?Poorly run schools may be breeding grounds for crime

Targeting the School Environment

18Building administrative capacity refers to methods of improving administrationExamplesProgram Development EducationSchool Development ProgramWhat does the research show?It appears very effectiveBuilding Administrative Capacity

19Normative education refers toSetting normsSetting student guidelinesSetting expectations for behaviorExamplesSafe Dates ProgramStart Taking Alcohol SeriouslyDoes it work?The evidence is encouragingNormative Education

20Here we are concerned with nontraditional methods of classroom management/instructionExamplesAltering teacher/student ratioAccommodating different learning stylesIncrease in out-of-class activitiesWhat does the research show?It is mixed, probably because of the diversity of interventions in this areaManaging Classrooms and Instruction

21Placing disruptive/at-risk students in the same room as good students can threaten learningThe result?Separate instruction for disruptive/at-risk studentsDoes it work?Little attention has been given to crime, but such interventions appear to affect drug use, conduct problems, and truancySeparate Classrooms for At-Risk Youths

22The school-based approaches already discussed targeted the school environment (mostly)Now we are concerned with changing students themselvesExamplesInstructional interventionsDAREGREATBehavior modificationTargeting Students

23DARE is the most common method of anti-drug education in Americas schoolsIt usually operates in the 5th and 6th gradesDoes it work?Almost all evaluations of DARE show it is a failureWhy does it persist?Public imageOther political motivationsDrug Abuse Resistance Education

24Gang Resistance Education and Training (GREAT) was modeled after DAREGREAT consists of 8 lessons taught to middle-school studentsDoes it work?GREAT shows more promise than DARE, but the evidence is scantand mixedGang Resistance Education

25Behavior modification is concerned with changing behavior through a system of rewards and punishmentDoes it work?It appears to work well with at-risk individuals, such as disruptive studentsOutcomes in most of the research have not included crimeBehavior Modification

26Many other methods of crime control in schools can be identifiedExamplesStudent Assistance ProgramMentoring and tutoring programsJob training in schoolsSchool-based recreation/after-school programsDo they work?Again, little research is availableOther Methods of Crime Control in Schools

27Crime Control in the Community and Schools. Conclusions