ABSTRACT
Crime prevention for the first three-quarters of the twentieth century was premised on a set of principles that changed very little. PreP venting crime meant modifying the predisposition of offenders to commit illegal acts. Whether they concentrated on altering the environmental facP tors that influence offenders or on working directly with offenders in a therapeutic setting, most prevention strategies since the emergence of the Progressive Era sought to prevent crime by changing the victimizes. Those strategies, however, came under attack in the late 1960s. Critics noted the increasing crime rates as evidence that nothing appeared to worK in preventing crime. As a consequence, many of the then-current prevention strategies fell into disrepute. The 1970s saw a change in the
406 D. A. Lewis, G. Salem
orientation of those concerned about crime prevention and crime control with the potential for significantly modifying social reform in America. Exemplified in the community crime prevention approach, the new orienP tation shifts the locus of attention from potential offenders and their motivations to potential victims and their environment. The rationale for this approach is summed up in the Hartford Crime Prevention Program.
