What Have We Learned from Environmental Criminology for the Prevention of Crime?

A recent study of the role of theory in modern-day crime prevention makes the case that situational crime prevention (SCP), compared to the two other major crime prevention strategies of developmental and community prevention, has had a greater influence on practice. This chapter surveys environmental criminology’s contribution to the prevention of crime. It does so through the lens of SCP and its highly influential classification system. As one of the major crime prevention strategies, SCP is an organizing concept for a wide range of theories that contribute to, and practices focused on, “reducing opportunities for highly specific forms of crime.” To ensure its coverage has some breadth and depth, the chapter draws upon leading empirical and narrative reviews of the effectiveness of SCP as well as more recent studies in the published literature.