Why does crime happen at certain places? Charlotte Gill, Ph.D. Center for Evidence-Based Crime Policy, Dept of Criminology, Law & Society, Fairfax VA

Why does a crime happen?

Lack of supervision and guardianship Informal/human – No structured activities for youth – Neighbors don’t look out for each other – No place managers Formal/mechanical – Poor street lighting – No/unmonitored CCTV

Low collective efficacy (‘neighborliness’) neighbors don’t trust or look out for each other people in transition (moving in and out, not connected to the place) easy to get in and out quickly

Environment: Poor design Building design and visibility problems Store layout (placement of easy to steal items) Poor definition of space (e.g. public vs. private property; inside/outside school) Lack of access control (e.g. gates, card access)

Environment: Policy violations Code violations Trash, graffiti, junk says “nobody cares about this place” Alcohol sales to minors Noise complaints Public transit policies (e.g. bus/rail pass restrictions)