Problem 6 Flashcards
Broken window theory
States that visible signs of crime, anti-social behavior, and civil disorder create an urban environment that encourages further crime and disorder.
–> a car, left abandoned, was destroyed by vandals within minutes
THUS: this only happens in neighborhoods where the people do not care for their homes
Executive functioning
Refers to higher order cognitive processes, which include dynamic decision making, attending etc
–> necessary for prosocial behavior
General theory of crime
(Gottfredson + Hirschi)
Suggests that low self-control is the single most important predictor of crime
Prisonization
Refers to the process of socialization in a prison setting
–> prisoners develop coping mechanisms to adapt to the informal “code” practiced in prison
Negative effects of incarceration appear to be enduring and widespread.
Name the most significant ones.
1. Cognitive decline
–> e.g. executive functioning
2. Emotional flattening
3. Psychological distress
4. Self isolation
5. Violence
Which factors will impact a prisoners personal safety when incarcerated?
1. Criminal record
2. Age, gender, race
3. Mental health
–> young inmates with mental health problems may be perceived as vulnerable, thus easy targets for victimization
Mindfulness
Involves 2 components
1. the self-regulation of attention
2. detached self-observation of the present moment in a nonjudgmental + accepting way
–> therapy can lead to improved self-regulation through its focus on self-awareness, attentional control + emotion regulation
Hot spots policing
(Policing strategy)
Involves police targeting a sizable proportion of citywide crime by focusing on a small number of high crime places
–> shows significant positive results
What should police be doing at crime hot spots ?
There are no specific instructions as to what to do but several strategies have been shown to be effective such as
1. increasing patrol time in the treatment hot spots alone increases survival time immensely
–> Koper curve
2. Situational prevention strategies
3. Increases in misdemeanor arrests
4. Having officers incorporate principles from problem-oriented policing (POP)
Koper curve
Indicates the duration response curve that shows the benefits of increased officer-time spent in a hot spot until a plateau time is reached
–> ideal time is 14-15 min
Situational prevention strategies
Refer to measures that make it harder for criminals to commit crimes such as
1. increasing the effort the offender must make to commit the crime
2. increasing the risks the offender must face in completing the crime
3. reducing the rewards or benefits the offender expects to obtain from the crime
4. removing excuses that offenders may use to justify their actions
–> most effective
Potential negative consequences of hot spot policing?
Lower citizen perceptions of police legitimacy
–> increased police presence and aggressive tactics may be viewed as unfair
THUS: it is important to involve the community
Problem oriented policing (POP)
Refers to a policing strategy that involves the identification and analysis of specific crime and disorder problems, in order to develop effective response strategies
Risk-needs-repsonsivity model (RNR)
Suggests that police should direct their resources at the highest risk clients primarily, thus chronic crime hotspots
–> this means that one has to systematically assess the conditions of each hot spot to better tailor intervention approaches
SARA
Represents 4 steps police should follow when implementing POP
1. Scanning
–> identifying + prioritizing potential problems
2. Analysis
3. Response
–> developing + implementing interventions
4. Assessment
–> assessing whether the response worked
Operation Ceasefire
(Focused deterrence approach)
Involves notifying gangs that violence would no longer be tolerated and if violence did occur, every available legal lever would be pulled to bring an immediate and certain response
“Pulling lever” policing/ Focused deterrence strategies
Is a subgroup of POP intervention that target specific criminal behavior committed by a small number of chronic offenders who are vulnerable to sanctions and punishment.
ex.: gangs, active criminals
Directed patrolling
Adding visible patrols where more crime is expected like hot spots so would-be criminals will be deterred by seeing police patrols
–> used to prevent gun violence
Procedural justice includes 4 components.
Name them.
1. Citizens need to participate in the decision process
–> given a choice
2. Neutrality
–> situation is deemed fair when officers are transparent about why they are resolving a dispute in a particular way
3. Treating citizens with dignity and respect
4. Citizens will view a situation as fair when they trust the motives of the police
What should police NOT be doing in order to prevent crime?
Using the standard model of policing
- Random preventive patrol
- Rapid Response to 911 calls
- General reactive arrest policies
–> aggressive order maintenance strategies are not helpful
Random preventive control
(Standard model of policing)
Refers to the random distribution of police resources across large geographic areas
–> should rather do this focused like hot spot policing
General reactive arrest strategy
Making arrests after a crime has already been committed
–> more important to focus on high risk offenders + high risk places
Broken windows policing
Targets minor crimes to help create an atmosphere of order and lawfulness, thereby preventing more serious crimes
–> thus focusing on bringing order into the disorder
What could be an important priority for post release policy action?
Proper reintegration into the community including
- Housing
- Postrelease employment
- Health insurance
- Drug + mental health treatment
–> this greatly reduces recidivism, drug use and crime
