Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED)

This assignment delves into the concepts of Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED). It examines various CPTED principles, their application in real-world settings, and their effectiveness in deterring criminal activity. The assignment likely includes a review of relevant research articles and case studies to support the analysis of CPTED's impact on crime reduction.

Running head: PHYSICAL SECURITY
Crime Prevention through Environmental Design
Name of the student:
Name of the university:
Author note

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Table of Contents
Introduction:...............................................................................................................................2
Description:................................................................................................................................2
Meaning:.................................................................................................................................2
Origin:.....................................................................................................................................3
Objective:...............................................................................................................................4
Function:.................................................................................................................................4
Effectiveness of the theory:....................................................................................................6
Criticism:................................................................................................................................8
Conclusion:................................................................................................................................8
Reference:..................................................................................................................................8

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Introduction:
The word crime is an act that leads the society towards a violent society and the
economic and the social life of the State affected by it (Vera, & Fabian, 2016). There are
many approaches has been find out by the researchers for many years regarding the origin of
the crime and many research have been completed regarding the prevention of the same. The
main essentials of crime are the state of minds and the commission of it. There are many
theories are there that can well defined the base of Crime and help to find out the history of it
(Downes, Rock & McLaughlin, 2016). According to the approaches of the criminology, one
thing has been come into the light that the society is very much affected by the criminal acts
and offence. Certain researchers about the prevention of crime have taken an initial by
designing the anticipation and recognition of criminal activities. In the year 1961, Jane Jacob
had published her experience regarding the American society and outcome regarding the
changes of the social structure (Christie, 2016). In her book, she had stated about the planning
theory regarding the architectural structure of the American society. After a decade, Jeffery
had coined the term Crime Prevention through Environmental Design to identify the
effectiveness regarding the same on the crime rate.
Description:
Meaning:
According to the various norms and notions of the researchers, the crime rate in the
society of USA is vehemently depended on the street crime and if there can be a proper
design can be chalked out, the rate of crime can be controlled (Dostoevsky, 2014). It has been
stated that a mutual intention regarding the curb of crime is important and territorial
reinforcement is necessary in this case. An approach has been taken to conceptualise these

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notion, where multi-disciplinary approaches are taken into consideration. Crime Prevention
through Environmental Designs or CPTED has came into force to deliver such mandate to
reduce the criminal behaviour by way of environmental design (Joyce & Armitage, 2016).
The doctrine of street crime has created effect on the CPTED system. Certain designs have
been taken to keep an eye on the street activities as the believer of this doctrine thought that
most of the crime can be abolished if the streets of the USA can be taken under proper
surveillance (Gibson, & Johnson, 2016).
Origin:
Criminologist Jeffery, for the first time, introduced the term CPTED to codify certain
designs regarding the architectural concoction so that the process of urban designing can
reduce the rate of crime in the year 1971. During the period of seventies, the city planner
Oscar Newman had encompassed certain design regarding the prevention of criminal
activities and introduced the idea of defensible space theory. The objective of the theory was
to secure the locality by design the appropriate structure. It has been stated under the
principle that a mutual assistance is needed to reduce the crime rate properly. In the society,
where there are social support is present, the rate of crime is getting lower. It has been stated
by Newman that the research revealed a high crime rate in that place where there is no
societal assistance and divisions (Wang, & Wang, 2015).
In the year 1961, Jane Jacob had published one research paper on the society structure
and it has been mentioned by her that before the year 1959, the crime rate in the industrial
areas were high in rate. She held responsible the society structure for the same. However,
after 1959, the society has been began to develop and there were certain social assistance
observed. As per the notion published by her, the criminal rate has reduced because of the
variety of the structure. She had emphasised the strategies regarding the urban renewal.

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According to the concept of the Christopher Alexander, the criminal offences are increased if
there are lack of natural guardianship can be seen.
However, Jeffery has originated the theory of CPTED in the year 1971 and the
structure of the same is based on four pillars such as the manipulation of the criminal
opportunities, motivational factors behind the same, risks of the offender and criminal history
of the offender.
Objective:
The principle of the Crime Prevention through Environmental Designs is based on the
environmental character of the crime and the researchers of the concept believe that the
society is the main directory factor regarding the development of any kinds of crimes.
Therefore, the main objective of the theory is to develop a society where there will be certain
rehabilitative process (Sohn, 2016). It has also been researched by the analyst of the theory
that if a social co-operation can be possible, the rate of the criminal activities can be possible
to reduce. It is important to involve every professional in the program so that the process of
co-operation can be enhanced. Certain designs are being taken by the researchers to develop a
design for the safety and security of the local neighbourhood. It has been observed that the
rate of the criminal activities is higher in the apartment areas than the slum areas. The
follower of the theory that provokes the positive mentalities to cure the social diseases takes
certain approaches.
Function:
The CPTED principle is based on the environmental design regarding the reduction of
crime and it functions through various objects. There are six main functional theories has
been adopted in the case that are demonstrate the importance of the theory (Johnson, Gibson,
& Stevens, 2014). The theories are to be divided into following parts:

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 Natural surveillance,
 Territorial reinforcement,
 Access control,
 Image/ maintenance,
 Activity support and
 Target hardening.
The rate of crime can be reduced if an initiative regarding the limitation of the
criminal opportunities can be taken place. In the area of natural surveillance, an initiative
has been taken for the social interaction in the public spaces. It has been observed that the
criminal risks are vehemently depending on the social structure as the crime is a social ill.
Certain specialised approaches are being adopted to deal with the societal changes and to
support the surveillance program. The role of the streetlights is playing an important role in
this case, as the dark paths are the epidemic centre for the number of crimes. In this process,
the concept of window surveillance has been taken for the betterment of the theory and the
concept of closed-circuit television has been taken for the development nature of the
surveillance.
In case of natural access control, certain differentiate has been taken regarding the
public and the private places. Certain guidelines are taken for the development of the spaces
and it is important to control the natural access regarding the criminal activities. Structures
regarding the door safety are being adopted and the ground level of the windows is changed.
The entrance structures are changed for certain extents and certain points are being taken for
the development of the process. The maze entrances and the rambling fences are also
interchanged and the process of installation of locking fences is redesigned. Masonry fencing
styles are being taken for the safety measures.

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The third functional approach regarding the theory is the natural territorial
reinforcement. It has been stated under the theory that ownership regarding a space is
important to identify the intruders and landscaping is important to occupy the space. The
security system should be stricter in nature and motion sensor lights are to be installed in
every public as well as private sector.
In case of the maintenance approach, “Broken windows theories” are adopted. As per
the theory, it has been mentioned that the broken window may give rise to the vandalism and
therefore, proper maintenance is necessary regarding the same (Johnson, Gibson, & Stevens,
2014).
The followers of the theory believes that if there will be certain mutual support can be
possible, the rate of crime can be reduced in a remarkable way. Therefore, it has been
maintained under the rule to absorb certain activities to increase the social support. The
functional theory of activity support helps to detect the criminal activities and narrate certain
plans for the development of the same. The concept of the road signs are taken in this case to
prevent road accident or illegal activities where there is certain establishments like school
building.
Effectiveness of the theory:
From the objective of the theory, it is clear that the environment is the most important
thing regarding the criminal activities and therefore, the same can be curbed by adopting
proper measures. A collective support program amongst the different classes of society is
important to rebuild a good communication between them. The process of CPTED helps to
create a communication chain within the social criteria and initiative has been taken for the
development of efforts made by environmental designers and other community activities. A
close analyse of the theory reveals that without the help of the social co-operation, the

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strategies of CPTED cannot be possible. A safer place to live is possible by way of taking
collective program where there is a need regarding the participation of every class of the
society (Fennelly, 2016).
A number of researches have been made regarding the effectiveness of the theory.
From the thorough study on the each part of the theory, it is clear that the theory is unable to
change the mind of the offender, nor it can restrain them to commit the crimes. The strategies
of the principle lead them towards a way where they can change their behaviour to certain
extent and the behaviour will lead them towards a crime free nation.
The principle of CPTED is based on certain behaviours and communication skills and
therefore, the rate of crime can be reduced by adopting certain behaviours as per the theory.
In this process, the cost regarding the effective steps is low and the application if the theory is
common and general in nature. There are certain reasons regarding the lower cost present.
The strategies that are taken by the theory are usually concentrated on the safety measures of
the society. It has been observed that the safety measure programs are cheap in nature and the
lights that are using in the strategies are energy consuming.
The CPTED theory was become popular during the twentieth century and the
reputation of the theory can be seen within the police personnel as they thought that the
nature of crime can be reduced by changing the human behaviour. It was believed by the
followers of the theory that if one portion of the society are affected by the criminal nature, it
is the duty of the inhabitants to secure their rights and the rate of crime can be reduced by
taking effective measures to secure the interest of the people of that area. In the year 2012,
the theory had been applied in certain prisons of America to change the behaviour of the
criminals and the effort was successful in certain places.

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Criticism:
The theory was mainly criticised because of its nature. The strategies of the theory
could not prevent the commission of offences and it has been observed and supported by
many documents. It concentrates on the human behaviour and initiative has been taken
regarding the change of those behaviours. The process of the social security has also been
criticised. According to many researchers, the idea of close-circuit television is against the
privacy of the person. If all the premises including the private premises are under the
surveillance of the CCCTV, it can lead to the irritation regarding the personal life of the
people in general.
Conclusion:
Therefore, from the detailed study of the CPTED system, it is clear that the follower
of this principle believed that crime could be prevented if the behaviour of the person can be
changed. As per the theory, only structural change and environmental development can lead
towards a crime free nation. As per the theory, the American society is very much affected by
the street crime and therefore, the theory concentrates on the street surveillance. The theory
was become popular but there were certain criticisms accrue regarding the same. As per the
recommendation made by Sherman, this theory has failed to prevent the criminal nature of
the criminals and therefore, the effectiveness of the theory has become questionable. On the
other hand, Crowe argued that the theory is a mixture of technology and environmental
opportunities and successfully applied for centuries. Through this theory, a systematic
approach regarding the crime evaluation is possible and therefore, the effectiveness of this
theory is beyond any doubt.

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Reference:
Christie, N. (2016). Crime control as industry: Towards gulags, western style. Taylor & Francis.
Dostoevsky, F. (2014). Crime and punishment. Penguin UK.
Downes, D., Rock, P., & McLaughlin, E. (2016). Understanding deviance: a guide to the
sociology of crime and rule-breaking. Oxford University Press.
Fennelly, L. (2016). Effective physical security. Butterworth-Heinemann.
Gibson, V., & Johnson, D. (2016). CPTED, but not as we know it: Investigating the conflict of
frameworks and terminology in crime prevention through environmental design. Security
Journal, 29(2), 256-275.
Ha, T., Oh, G. S., & Park, H. H. (2015). Comparative analysis of Defensible Space in CPTED
housing and non-CPTED housing. International Journal of Law, Crime and
Justice, 43(4), 496-511.
Johnson, D., Gibson, V., & Stevens, E. (2014). Developing & maintaining sustainable
communities: Managing the output focus of Crime Prevention through Environmental
Design (CPTED).
Johnson, D., Gibson, V., & Stevens, E. (2014)., A., Ignatius, J., & Tilaki, M. J. M. (2016).
Examining the effects of crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED) on
Residential Burglary. International Journal of Law, Crime and Justice, 46, 86-102.
Joyce, C., & Armitage, R. (2016). Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED)
and retail crime: Exploring Offender Perspectives on Risk and Protective factors in the
Design and Layout of Retail Environments.

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Kim, S. J., An, S. H., & Kim, H. B. (2015). A Study on Landscape of Naeap Village in Andong
interpreted with CPTED Principles. Journal of Korean Society of Rural Planning, 21(4),
77-84.
Owusu, G., Wrigley-Asante, C., Oteng-Ababio, M., & Owusu, A. Y. (2015). Crime prevention
through environmental design (CPTED) and built-environmental manifestations in Accra
and Kumasi, Ghana. Crime Prevention and Community Safety, 17(4), 249-269.
Soebarto, V., Bennetts, H., Oakley, S., & Babie, P. (2015). Investigation of the relationship
between CPTED principles and people's feeling of safety: a pilot study in the City of
Adelaide.
Sohn, D. W. (2016). Residential crimes and neighbourhood built environment: Assessing the
effectiveness of crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED). Cities, 52, 86-
93.
Sohn, D. W. (2016). Residential crimes and neighbourhood built environment: Assessing the
effectiveness of crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED). Cities, 52, 86-
93.
Vera, Y., & Fabian, N. (2016). Crime prevention through environmental design.
Wang, K. Q., & Wang, J. Y. (2015, December). Constructing healthy building’s outside
environment base on CPTED theories. In Material Science and Environmental
Engineering: Proceedings of the 3rd Annual 2015 International Conference on Material
Science and Environmental Engineering (ICMSEE2015, Wuhan, Hubei, China, 5-6 June
2015) (p. 259). CRC Press.

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