Table of contentsIntroductionApproaches to crime preventionDevelopmental approachCommunity policingSituational approachComparison of dominant approaches to crime preventionContrast of dominant approaches to crime preventionMost effective approach to preventing crimeConclusionIntroduction When criminal acts occur occur, victims are in many cases wishing the act had never been committed in the first place. They would have preferred that the criminal act had been prevented. Crime prevention therefore refers to any effort to prevent the criminal or crime from occurring (Braga, 2008). Various institutions carry out crime prevention activities. Police when arresting a gang member, a court holding a suspect in a correctional facility, or even a community monitoring a sign on a property. However, it is important to note that these institutions are not the only ones working to prevent crime. Problem-oriented policing initiatives also prevent crime by adopting policies that seek to discourage potential offenders from committing crimes in the first place (Braga, 2008). Crime prevention therefore offers alternatives to more conservative methods of approaching and responding to crime. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay There are several ways to classify approaches to crime prevention. One way to prevent crime involves the community itself. The community becomes involved in crime prevention by establishing community policing structures and dedicated members to respond to incidents of crime in the community. This is evidenced by the use of neighborhood watch in many areas in the United States. The other approach concerns actions taken by correctional institutions to attempt to reform offenders. Institutions are also considered preventive because of their supposed deterrent effect on potential offenders. The last classification concerns law enforcement officers. This includes both the police and the courts. These two institutions work to prevent crime by identifying potential offenders such as gang members or, in the event that the courts make the decision to release or retain offenders. Approaches to crime prevention The criminal justice system involves members of the police and courts, correctional facilities and the community. All members of the justice system respond differently to how they approach crime prevention. Therefore, each of these agencies has its own dominant approaches to crime prevention. Developmental Approach This approach assumes that the crime rate is reduced by changing potential offenders before they engage in criminal situations. This will involve changing their skills, knowledge, motivations, and dispositions before they begin to engage in crimes and criminal activities (Ekblom and Pease, 1995). It is a social approach and mainly focused on the long term. The approach aims to make the entire community less competent and less informed when it comes to crime and criminal activity. For example, increasing resilience and reinforcing positive behaviors has been found to reduce antisocial behavior in children from difficult backgrounds. The program used this approach to address risk factors associated with antisocial behavior. They then developedprotection mechanisms at individual, community and school levels. Following this, antisocial behavior decreased and calls to the police in schools decreased from 24 to four during the second year of introduction (Gant and Grabosky, 2000). Community policing This is a dominant approach by law enforcement and the courts. Community policing, also known as home surveillance or community surveillance, allows the community to partner with police to help keep communities safe. This is particularly important because the police cannot be everywhere at the same time. In neighborhood watch, under these programs, police advise on necessary security measures that citizens can take at home, raise public awareness about crime prevention, and report property. Neighborhood watch programs aim to prevent crime by involving residents in watching for suspicious activities and reporting them to the police. and improve social control and cohesion within the community (Bennet et al., 2006). A review and analysis of the program found that it reduced crime in communities by up to 16% compared to communities that did not use it. Situational Approach However, this approach is primarily focused on reducing crime in correctional facilities. The model primarily focused on the environmental factors that affect an offender's decision to commit a crime. The model is based on the rational theory that offenders make rational, deliberate decisions to commit a crime after analyzing the costs and benefits of criminal activity (Wortley, 2002). Wortley splits the approach in two. Controlling regulators involves increasing perceived risks, reducing expected outcomes, increasing anticipated punishments, and increasing efforts to commit these crimes. Additionally, controlling triggers includes reducing provocations, controlling pressures, and controlling incentives. Comparison of Dominant Approaches to Crime Prevention The three forms of crime prevention share some similarities in the way they interact with the community. Like, they all share this element of community. All three approaches focus on how the community can be involved in the prevention of crime and criminal activities (Braga, 2008). The developmental approach focuses on how the community can change its thinking to ensure it moves away from issues of committing a crime. Community policing, on the other hand, seeks to have community members literally police their own neighborhoods to help identify and report incidents of crime or suspicious behavior. The situational approach focuses on the need for the community as a whole to work to reduce the opportunities for criminals to commit crimes and make it more difficult for them to get away with it. Contrasting Dominant Approaches to Crime Prevention All dominant approaches to crime prevention strategies also share some differences. Although these approaches all focus on the community, the time it takes for them to bring about change is very different. While the situational approach will bring about rapid change, the developmental approach will take a long time to bring about change. This is because; the strategy requires changing the entire behavior of a community, from children to adults (Gant and Grabosky). Community policing, on the other hand, will change the security of a community in the short and medium term. The police of.