ABSTRACT
Introduction .........................................................................................................210 Dening and Conceptualizing SCP ..................................................................211 e Historical Context: A Brief Sketch of the Key Post-War Developments in SCP .........................................................................................214 e Social Root Causes of Crime and SCP ......................................................216 Measures of SCP ..................................................................................................218 Problems and Evaluation ................................................................................... 222 Summary ............................................................................................................. 223 Glossary of Key Terms ....................................................................................... 224 Discussion Questions ........................................................................................ 225 Suggested Reading ............................................................................................. 225 Recommended Web Links ................................................................................ 226 References ............................................................................................................ 226
Social crime prevention (SCP) can be linked to the social control theory of crime (Hirschi 1969), which asserts that the strength and durability of an individual’s bonds or commitments to society serve to diminish his or her propensity for deviant behavior. Unlike the more traditional example of situational crime prevention (Clarke 1996; Jeery 1971; Newman 1972; also see Chapter 14 in this volume), SCP is based on an assumption that real changes regarding diminishing deviancy and crime rates can be achieved mainly through solving social problems, such as social inequality, a low educational level, structural unemployment, poor employment opportunities, discrimination, poverty, and social exclusion (Meško 2002). Attempting to achieve its goals, SCP is concerned with measures aimed at tackling the root causes of crime and the predisposition of individuals to oend (Crawford and Traynor 2012; Graham and Bennet 1995). SCP programs and initiatives focus on individuals, groups and communities, and (potential) victims of crime (Meško 2002). Such programs minimize the risk for individuals, be they (potential) oenders or victims of crime, and contribute to the reinforcement of resilient communities. Usually, adherents of SCP criticize other preventive approaches and programs for wrongly addressing the root causes of crime while dealing only with its symptoms (see Box 8.1).
