ABSTRACT
As the proverb goes, prevention is better than cure. It is much better to stop crime before it is committed by taking preventive measures, for example by residents installing anti-burglary doors to prevent burglary. Crime prevention is an important component in criminal justice. Firstly, the benefits of crime prevention are in parallel to those of disease prevention. A sound public health system should provide education and guidance on how to prevent cancer rather than just treat cancer after patients are diagnosed with cancer. In terms of crime, however, many popular media accounts of crime, both reallife and fictional, convey the message that the most effective way to control crime is to arrest offenders. This reactive approach to crime is no more than closing the stable door after the horse has bolted. Secondly, it has demonstrated in the extant literature that a small number of people commit a disproportionate amount of crime, and that a criminal history is a significant factor in future reoffending (see, for example, Zamble and Quinsey 1997). It follows logically then that ‘preventing’ people from having a criminal record in the first place has substantial effects on recidivism, and therefore overall crime in society. Thirdly, crime prevention has economic benefits. Simply put, crime prevention could save money and therefore put to greatest use the resources allocated to the criminal justice system (Swaray 2006). Last but not least, a particular crime involves a network including the offender, the victim, their family members, and the whole community.
