Revision Notes – Crime and Punishment: Methods of Reducing

Crime

Methods of Reducing Crime

Technology
 One of the methods involves using more DNA evidence and improving its use
o Apart from helping police to identify and arrest suspects, it also helps
ensure that they arrest the correct suspects and not innocent people
o You can find a study on DNA evidence here
‘DNA evidence led to a considerably higher number of suspect
identifications and arrests than fingerprint evidence. In cases where both
fingerprint and biological evidence were collected, suspects were
identified through the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) database at
twice the rate they were identified by AFIS (Automated Fingerprint
Identification System)—16 percent in CODIS and 8 percent in AFIS.
Suspects were arrested following a CODIS hit at three times the rate (9
percent) they were arrested following an AFIS hit (3 percent). However,
this overstates the effectiveness of fingerprint evidence, which was
collected at only a third of crime scenes’
https://www.urban.org/research/publication/dna-field-
experiment/view/full_report

 Technology can be used in product design to reduce theft, counterfeiting,

tampering and vandalism
o You can find some examples of how it can be used here.
‘Crime reduction through product design (CRPD) involves integrating
protective features into products in order to reduce their potential to
become targets of criminal activity, as well as preventing their use as
instruments of crime. The term "product" encompasses any physical
property and forms of currency, as well as electronic information and
computer software. Property crimes such as theft can be targeted through
product design (for example, ink tags on retail merchandise), as well as
potential violent crimes and traffic offences (for example, through "smart
guns" which do not work if stolen, or cars that will not start if the driver is
drunk). ‘
https://aic.gov.au/publications/cfi/cfi013

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 Revision Notes – Crime and Punishment: Methods of Reducing
Crime

 Technology can be used for monitoring by law enforcement agencies

o Today, CCTVs are everywhere. Facial recognition technology and
improved artificial intelligence can be used to alert police to crimes in
progress
o It also ensures that criminals can be caught easily, and evidence from
video surveillance can be used against them in court
o An article estimated the number of CCTVs at around 350 million in 2016
https://www.sdmmag.com/articles/92407-rise-of-surveillance-camera-
installed-base-slows
o A report by the Guardian indicated that there were 1.85 million CCTVs in
the UK alone, 1 for every 32 UK citizens.
https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2011/mar/02/cctv-cameras-
watching-surveillance
o There are privacy concerns, partly due to the fact that many CCTVs are
owned and controlled by private entities, not the government
 Personal data could easily be compromised under the guise of
security

Other methods of reducing crime

 Some studies have concluded that improving street lighting reduces crime.
o ‘The review showed that improved street lighting had a positive effect in
reducing crimes such as burglary and theft. It did not, however, reduce
the incidence of violent crimes. When all data are considered together,
improved street lighting was associated with a relative reduction in crime
of 21 per cent in areas it was introduced, compared to similar areas
where there were no such improvements.’
http://library.college.police.uk/docs/what-works/What-works-briefing-
improved-street-lighting-2013.pdf
o Others, however, have concluded that improved street lighting does not
reduce crime
‘It was concluded that although street lighting was welcomed by the
public and provided reassurance to some people who were fearful in their
use of public space, the area-wide introduction of new street lighting did
not reduce reported crime.’
http://www.celfosc.org/biblio/seguridad/atkins.pdf

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 Revision Notes – Crime and Punishment: Methods of Reducing
Crime

 Improving mental health, education and infrastructure would have ripple effects
that would reduce crime rates.
 Some experts have offered solutions to crime in the most violent cities
o https://www.theguardian.com/global-development-professionals-
network/2015/jun/30/24-ways-to-reduce-in-the-worlds-most-violent-
cities

Summary

In summary, criminal justice is messy and complicated field. None of it, from the causes
to the sentencing to the solutions for crime is as straightforward as we imagine it to be.
While many lives lie in the balance of the justice system, all it takes is someone to tip the
scales

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