Results of the review and analysis suggest that CCTV (closed-circuit television) caused a modest (16 percent) but significant decrease in crime in experimental areas compared with control areas. This overall result was largely driven by the effectiveness of CCTV schemes in car parks, which caused a 51 percent decrease in crime. In recent years, there has been a marked and sustained growth in the use of CCTV surveillance cameras to prevent crime in public places. Even though it is argued that CCTV in public places may prevent crime, there is still much debate as to the effectiveness of CCTV in its prevention of crime. The main aim of this paper is to present the results of an updated systematic review and meta-analysis of the effects of CCTV on crime in public places. Public areas are those places that individuals can make use of or visit in a free and unencumbered way, such as city and town centers, subway systems, and parking lots or car parks. Focusing on public places allows for a more comprehensive examination of one aspect of the current debate on CCTV surveillance and crime prevention, and is driven by the growing use of CCTV to reduce crime in public places. Tables, figure, and references