CRJ 305 Neighborhood Watch As A Crime Prevention Strategy

Name: CRJ 305 Neighborhood Watch As A Crime Prevention Strategy
Brand: Arizona State University
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Author: Abigail Bennett

Evaluation of community-based crime prevention programs

Abigail Bennett

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Neighborhood Watch 1
Neighborhood Watch As A Crime Prevention Strategy
Sandy Diaz (Echon)
CRJ 305 Crime Prevention
Professor Blake Cheary
February 4, 2012
Discuss the effectiveness of Neighborhood Watch programs as a crime prevention
strategy. In your answer, explore the key principles and goals of these programs, the
challenges they face, and the role of community involvement in reducing crime. How do
Neighborhood Watch initiatives contribute to enhancing public safety and community
cohesion? Additionally, analyze the findings of research studies on the impact of
Neighborhood Watch programs on crime rates, including the statistical meta-analysis
conducted by Bennett et al. (2008). What are the potential long-term benefits and
limitations of these programs in promoting safer neighborhoods?
Word Count Requirement: 1000-1200 words

Neighborhood Watch 2
For centuries, crime which is a universal occurrence, has troubled and face up to societies
of the world. Crime, in one form or another, touches each of our lives on a daily basis. If
you are lucky enough not to have been a direct victim, you are still altered by the threat
and cost of crime, as well as by the emotional consequences of realizing that crime is all
around you. As the United States becomes more diverse, the responsibilities expected of
police in the fight against crime are becoming progressively more difficult to accomplish.
The most effective approaches to crime prevention are community policing and reducing
opportunities for crime through strategies like block watch, target hardening or promoting
a more careful behavior. These could result to decreased crime rates, the level and the
fear of crime neighborhood risks, and higher quality of life.
Robinson states (2002) before we can create an effective plan to prevent crime, “it is
helpful to first understand why a particular act is identified as a crime and prohibited by
society” (pg. 1). According to our book Policing and Crime Prevention, Identifying
unacceptable behavior and defining criminal prohibitions are only parts of the process of
crime prevention. The current and most basic beliefs about crime prevention are to place
the citizen at the center of the endeavor.
As we know crime prevention is a magnitude of many perceptions and we must
recognize the fact that different agencies and organizations have established or are
establishing policies and programs to prevent and control crime in their own ways. The
security of the neighborhood is the key indicator for economic and social health stability.
This makes neighborhood crime prevention efforts important. Safe neighborhoods are
paramount to enhance common values and general community health where there is
neighborhood crime fear and distrust among the residents prevail. As it has been
observed usually crime is common in poorer neighborhoods which have high

Neighborhood Watch 3
populations. If this is not addressed it may contributes to community neglect and
breakdown. This is because there are few incentives to invest both economically or
socially in such environment. People from neighborhood become suspicious to each other
and this affects their cooperation. Crime also flourishes in neighborhoods where there are
more opportunities for violence, such as illegal drug and gun markets (Reiss and Roth,
1993, Method section para 1). Community networks formed by youth emulating positive
adult behavior suffer when people are fearful and distrustful (Moore, 1999, Method
section para 2).
Creating safer through communities through neighborhood crime prevention programs
is one way to disturb this negative feedback circle that weakens communities. One thing
law officials learn is that proactive crime prevention strategies involve not only
themselves but also the community in programs and initiatives that enable citizens to
protect their property more effectively.
Every citizen must contribute to the prevention of crime, or the effort is destined to
fail. In the earliest days, under the Anglo-Saxon system of Alfred the Great, the citizen
was expected to participate in both crime prevention and crime control. Under the
“Frankpledge” system, each man was required to be responsible for, and to, his neighbors
(Robinson 2002, pg. 4). Today this still continues but it is known as Neighborhood
Crime Watch.
In principle, Neighborhood Watch is a crime prevention program that stresses
education and common sense. It teaches citizens how to help themselves by identifying
and reporting suspicious activity in their neighborhoods. In addition, it provides citizens
with the opportunity to make their neighborhoods safer and improve the quality of life.

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University

Arizona State University

Subject

Criminal Justice

CRJ 305 Neighborhood Watch As A Crime Prevention Strategy

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