Place: An Important Unit of Analysis

Research shows that crime is highly concentrated in very small geographic places, such as street segments, and that focusing criminal justice efforts at such places benefits crime prevention and communities. Furthermore, other social phenomena also cluster at small places, suggesting a role for partnerships between justice agencies, social service providers, and “micro-communities” in helping to prevent crime and increase social cohesion and informal social control.

Despite a growing scientific base, there remain gaps in our knowledge of crime and place and the nature of micro-communities. Faculty and students within the CEBCP work to identify areas of significant research promise and practical crime prevention and social benefits. CEBCP has also created the Crime and Place Working Group (CPWG), an international collaborative of crime and place scholars dedicated to the advancement of this line of research.

The current co-chairs of the CPWG are Martin Andresen and Liz Groff.

Picture from the first meeting of the CPWG, August 11-12, 2008 in D.C.
Picture from the first meeting of the CPWG, August 11-12, 2008 in D.C.

Crime and Place Working Group

Chairs:

Members:

Current Projects

  • Community Health, Anti-social Behavior and Safety at Street Segments
  • A Place-Based Community Oriented Approach to Youth Violence Prevention in Seattle
  • Understanding the use of technologies like license plate readers and mobile computers in crime hot spots
  • District of Columbia Project Safe Neighborhoods Evaluation
  • Implementing and Evaluating Community Policing Strategies in Juvenile Crime Hot Spots
  • Increasing Collective Efficacy at Crime Hot Spots: A Patrol Force Approach in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota
  • Why Places Matter for Crime: What We Know about the Criminology of Place and How it Can Help Us to Control the Crime Problem
  • Stop, Question, and Frisk Analysis in New York City
  • Evaluation of the Transportation Security Administration’s Comprehensive Strategy to Security at Airports
  • Sacramento Police Department Partnership
  • Encyclopedia of Criminology and Criminal Justice
  • Evaluation of License Plate Recognition Systems
  • Exploring Developmental Patterns of Crime at Place
  • The Influence of Places on Policing (NIJ DuBois Fellowship)

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