¶ … Crime Analysis: CPTED CPTED -- Crime Prevention through Environmental Design

Before committing a criminal act, offenders often make several decisions with regard to the effort expended and chances of being apprehended. Crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED) seeks to influence the decisions an offender makes, prior to committing a criminal act, via the alteration of the constructed environment. In addition to explaining the function of CPTED, this text will, amongst other things, also highlight how it is used and who exactly uses it.

CPTED, in the words of Sennewald and Christman (2011, p. 69), "is based on the theory that the proper design and effective use of the built environment can lead to a reduction in the incidence and fear of crime, and to an improvement in the quality of life." As the authors further point out, CPTED is further reinforced by concepts derived from such diverse fields as criminology, psychology, and geography -- in which case there is general consensus that; the physical environment design as well as use has an effect on people's behavior, which has an influence on the productive utilization of space, thus informing what the authors term "an increase or decrease in exposure to crime and loss" (Sennewald and Christman, 2011, p. 69). Those who make use of CPTED, include, but they are not limited to, "community residents, municipal leadership, law enforcement, business leaders and planners/architects" (National Crime Prevention Council, 2014).

The Functions and Goals of CPTED

The key goal of CPTED is crime reduction/prevention. On this front, it is via the utilization of strategies that relate to environmental design that CPTED seeks to deter criminal behavior. To reduce instances of crime, CPTED seeks to influence human behavior in a positive way, and hence present a psychological deterrence to crime. When offenders feel that the risk of committing a...

CPTED strategies, when properly implemented, make an environment safe. This could happen via the relocation of utilities stuffed in inappropriate locations and proper lighting of critical spaces such as the parking lot. In this case, inhabitants of the concerned area end up feeling safer and more secure -- and undertake their day-to-day duties without fear of harm or attack.
One other goal of CPTED is cost reduction. It is important to note that in the past, organizations, neighborhoods, and diverse agencies have largely relied on labor-intensive strategies in an attempt to reduce or bring down crime. Such labor-intensive, and thus costly, approaches, as Sennewald and Christman (2011) point out, include the use of police patrols, hall monitors, and guards. With CPTED, opportunity for crime can be limited severely without huge resource allocations.

CPTED is also critical when it comes to the further reinforcement of conventional approaches to safeguarding. When used alongside traditional safeguarding approaches, CPTED could be of even greater significance in the reduction of crime.

How is CPTED Used?

When it comes to the use of CPTED, the National Crime Prevention Council, (2014) identifies four strategies: natural access control, natural surveillance, territoriality, and maintenance.

With regard to natural access control and surveillance, the goal is often to limit the opportunity for crime. More specifically, when it comes to natural surveillance, Hess (2008, p. 154) makes a well-known observation: "criminals do not…