ABSTRACT
Outcome evaluations of crime prevention focus on changes in the level of the targeted crime, fear of crime, and/or citizen behavior. The fact that most prevention programs are place specifi c means that evaluations typically focus only on changes within the target, neighborhood, or community. At the same time, crime prevention programs could have an impact beyond that which is intended. The other changes could be either positive or negative. The crime prevention techniques in one area may unintentionally result in increased crime in another area, on other targets, or at different times. In essence, levels of crime or fear may have simply shifted in response to the prevention efforts. This shift in crime is referred to as crime displacement . The opposite may also occur. Crime prevention efforts targeted at a specifi c problem in one location may have a positive impact on other locations or crimes. That is, there may be a diffusion of benefi ts.
