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Role of Theory in Rural Crime Prevention (From Rural Crime, P 152-165, 1982, Timothy J Carter, et al, ed. - See NCJ-88256)

NCJ Number
88263
Author(s)
R L O'Block; T N Wurschmidt; J F Donnermeyer
Date Published
1982
Length
14 pages
Annotation
Three of five theories on crime prevention have applications to the issue of how to deal with rural crime.
Abstract
The rapid increase in rural crime in the 1960's and 1970's has made the development of a sound theoretical base particularly important. Theories relevant to the design of crime prevention strategies concentrate largely on the victim's situation. The environmental design theory focuses on the concept of territoriality in relating the physical environment to criminal activity. This theory implies that prevention programs such as neighborhood watch and CB patrol, which emphasize rural people's independent nature and their informal network of interaction, would be appropriate for rural areas. Information theory asserts that crime deterrence can result from reducing the level of payoffs for committing the crime or by increasing the strength of the cues the criminal has to emit to carry out the criminal act. This theory suggests that programs aimed at developing positive attitudes toward home and farm security may prove beneficial. The theory of time of police arrival on the scene focuses on the importance of reporting crimes promptly. The random area search theory implies the need for random police patrols and could probably not be implemented in a rural environment. Similarly, the displacement theory, which postulates that criminals change the location of their activities in response to prevention efforts, is probably not relevant. Theory on crime prevention in rural areas must consider such factors as the relative isolation of rural homes, the increased accessibility of country areas, and the increasing rural population, which appear to contribute to the rural crime problem. Theory must also consider the public's attitude toward rural law enforcement and many other factors. Twenty-four references are listed.