Long prison sentences and incapacitation are still the U.S. method of choice in crime control. British criminology has tended to look up to the United States for guidance, although the United States has not been notably successful in controlling crime. Britain's European neighbors have been more successful in creating stable and ordered societies through the formation of community structures, institutions, and influences that reduce criminogenic factors and foster normative socialization among the young. European crime prevention has also focused on reduction in the opportunities for crime by encouraging citizens to assume responsibility for residential security and surveillance. The formal criminal justice system remains as a backup to community crime prevention initiatives but it is not the frontier or the cutting edge of effective crime control. 6 references.