ABSTRACT
The police can play a more effective role in crime prevention through emphasis on prevention and control through the environment rather than apprehension of individual criminals after the fact. Peter Lejins distinguishes three types of crime prevention programs: punitive, corrective, and mechanical. A science of crime prevention has yet to be developed, and it would be senseless to state what might be involved as a final product, but it can go beyond locks and alarms as they exist. Edwin H. Sutherland and Donald R. Cressy state that crime prevention is needed since reformation and punishment have failed to reduce crime rates. The classical school placed emphasis upon deterrence, a position rejected by many contemporary criminologists. Systems analysis would force criminologists to focus on the interrelationship of parts of the criminal justice system, the consequences of certain policy decisions on future events, and the effectiveness of the system in reaching general goals or ends.
