DOES CRIME JUST MOVE AROUND THE CORNER? A CONTROLLED STUDY OF SPATIAL DISPLACEMENT AND DIFFUSION OF CRIME CONTROL BENEFITS*

Recent studies point to the potential theoretical and practical benefits of focusing police resources on crime hot spots. However, many scholars have noted that such approaches risk displacing crime or disorder to other places where programs are not in place. Although much attention has been paid to the idea of displacement, methodological problems associated with measuring it have often been overlooked. We try to fill these gaps in measurement and understanding of displacement and the related phenomenon of diffusion of crime control benefits. Our main focus is on immediate spatial displacement or diffusion of crime to areas near the targeted sites of an intervention. Do focused crime prevention efforts at places simply result in a movement of offenders to areas nearby targeted sites—“do they simply move crime around the corner”? Or, conversely, will a crime prevention effort focusing on specific places lead to improvement in areas nearby—what has come to be termed a diffusion of crime control benefits? Our data are drawn from a controlled study of displacement and diffusion in Jersey City, New Jersey. Two sites with substantial street‐level crime and disorder were targeted and carefully monitored during an experimental period. Two neighboring areas were selected as “catchment areas” from which to assess immediate spatial displacement or diffusion. Intensive police interventions were applied to each target site but not to the catchment areas. More than 6,000 20‐minute social observations were conducted in the target and catchment areas. They were supplemented by interviews and ethnographic field observations. Our findings indicate that, at least for crime markets involving drugs and prostitution, crime does not simply move around the corner. Indeed, this study supports the position that the most likely outcome of such focused crime prevention efforts is a diffusion of crime control benefits to nearby areas.     

NO COMMUNITY IS AN ISLAND: THE EFFECTS OF RESOURCE DEPRIVATION ON URBAN VIOLENCE IN SPATIALLY AND SOCIALLY PROXIMATE COMMUNITIES*

The link between resource deprivation and urban violence has long been explored in criminological research. Studies, however, have largely ignored the potential for resource deprivation in particular communities to affect rates of violence in others. The relative inattention is notable because of the strong theoretical grounds to anticipate influences that extend both to geographically contiguous areas and to those that, though not contiguous, share similar social characteristics. We argue that such influences—what we term spatial and social proximity effects, respectively—constitute a central feature of community dynamics. To support this argument, we develop and test theoretically derived hypotheses about spatial and social proximity effects of resource deprivation on aggregated and disaggregated homicide counts. Our analyses indicate that local area resource deprivation contributes to violence in socially proximate communities, an effect that, in the case of instrumental homicides, is stronger when such communities are spatially proximate. We conclude by discussing the implications of our findings for theories focused on community‐level social processes and violence, and for policies aimed at reducing crime in disadvantaged areas.     

治安管理处罚中引入社区服务令制度可行性研究

随着行刑社会化、行刑轻缓化及恢复性司法理论的不断发展,社区服务令制度得到国际社会的广泛认同,并被很多国家引入作为针对轻罪的行刑方法。社区服务令制度不仅在刑事司法领域具有重要的制度价值,在行政处罚领域也有大可为之处。当前,可行之处是将社区服务令制度纳入治安管理处罚领域,需要对其在概念上重新进行界定,在此基础上构建一套符合我国国情的社区服务令制度。     

我国城市社区建设探析——以南京市鼓楼区社区建设为分析个案

随着我国政治经济体制改革的不断深入和城市化进程的加速,城市社区在社会发展和现代化建设中的地位和作用日益凸显,城市社区建设已经成为中国社会发展中的一个战略性问题.作为全国社区建设实验区,南京鼓楼区在社区建设中以其突出的特点,为全国城市社区建设的运行机制及模式提供了值得借鉴的成功经验.     

强化人民调解遏止家庭暴力

家庭暴力问题普遍存在,危害严重.在诸多反家庭暴力的措施中,人民调解是不可忽视的中坚力量.强化人民调解独特的第一道防线的作用,能积极主动、富有成效地预防和遏止家庭暴力.     

以警务实战为中心 搞好民警在职培训

公安院校是公安专业人才的培养基地和在职民警的训练基地 ,如何贴近实战 ,加强在职民警培训 ,使民警在有效打击犯罪的同时 ,减少伤亡是公安院校的首要任务。针对当前严峻的现实 ,公安院校应以警务实战需要为中心 ,做好在职民警的培训工作。 1、培训规化强调实际性 ;2、培训内容突出实用性 ;3、培训方法注重实战性 ;4、培训目的讲求实效性     

日本的交番制度对我国社区警务建设的启示

日本的交番制度经过一百多年的发展,已具有较成熟的经验。目前我国推行社区警务建设,可以借鉴日本的成功经验,合理设置和规范社区警务室,明确社区民警的主要职责,加强对社区民警的教育、培训工作,建立派出所工作信息系统。     

都市民族社区的宗教生活与文化认同--昆明顺城街回族社区调查

长期以来,昆明顺城街回族社区居民共同的宗教生活,促成了他们对本民族文化的认同,维系了回族社区的存在。但在现代文化的冲击和都市文化的濡化下,该地区居民的宗教信仰和宗教活动也发生着不断的变化,出现了中老年人对伊斯兰教更虔诚,对本民族的文化认同感增强,而年轻人却与之相悖而行的状况。     

从治安学的研究看社区警务

社区警务是警察对社会现代化、民主化和城市化所做出的一种反应,也是社会自身结构日益分化、公共权力扩大并在区域层面上进行社会治安资源整合的一种表现,是一项复杂的系统工程。因此,从治安学的研究领域出发,通过对社区概念与特点的分析,来理解社区警务的本质,为指导社区警务工作的开展和落实提供理论支持。     

城市社区保障的新探索

在社会转型期,我们的城市社会保障制度在实践当中出现了一系列问题。与此同时,社区建设已在全国推开,这也就给当前的社会保障带来了一种新的契机,即依托社区建设,推行城市社区保障。