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Neighborhood Watches have been criticized for not attempting to integrate members of the community who are at a high risk of committing crimes, like juveniles, by incorporating after-school programs for at risk youths into the watch, but it could be argued that the sense of community conveyed by being on the side of the law, as opposed to against it, has an unintended positive effective of diminishing the attractiveness of committing crimes amongst citizens within the community.
Another component to deterrence is "Hardening Up" or Target Hardening, another frequent part of Neighborhood Watches ("What is a Crime Alert: Target Hardening," 2007, Business Crime Direct). This involves making the community less attractive for criminals by adding alarm systems to homes, adding surveillance recording devices to businesses, and even simply upgrading bolts and locks or adding shutters to houses. Hardening up is also one way to potentially reduce the volume of complaints received about suspicious behavior, deviant behavior, and crime, by creating a secure environment that is dependent upon more than simply the community's watch with human eyes and ears.
While the neoclassical philosophy, no more than a...
It creates essentially a hostile environment for criminals, and through surveillance and the use of crime-prevention techniques, demonstrates that criminals are not welcome in the community, and if they transgress the community's laws they will be caught and punished swiftly.
Works Cited
About Neighborhood Watch." (2007).
USAOnWatch Website. Sponsored by the U.S.Department of Justice in Partnership with the National Sheriffs' Association. Retrieved 15 Apr 2007 at http://www.usaonwatch.org/AboutUs/AboutNeighborhoodWatch.php
O'Connor, Tom. "Classical & Positivist Schools of Criminology." Last Updated:
Oct 2005. Retrieved 15 Apr 2007 at http://faculty.ncwc.edu/toconnor/301/301lect02.htm
What is a Crime Alert: Target Hardening?" (2007). Business Crime Direct. Retrieved 15 Apr 2007 at http://www.businesscrimedirect.org.uk/page.asp?pagekey=132
Works Cited
About Neighborhood Watch." (2007).
USAOnWatch Website. Sponsored by the U.S.Department of Justice in Partnership with the National Sheriffs' Association. Retrieved 15 Apr 2007 at http://www.usaonwatch.org/AboutUs/AboutNeighborhoodWatch.php
O'Connor, Tom. "Classical & Positivist Schools of Criminology." Last Updated:
Oct 2005. Retrieved 15 Apr 2007 at http://faculty.ncwc.edu/toconnor/301/301lect02.htm
What is a Crime Alert: Target Hardening?" (2007). Business Crime Direct. Retrieved 15 Apr 2007 at http://www.businesscrimedirect.org.uk/page.asp?pagekey=132
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