Definition

Crime prevention speaks to a desire to circumvent a crime before it occurs. Extensive research has been done in defining crime prevention. The definition guiding crime prevention in Ontario reads as follows:

“The anticipation, recognition and appraisal of a crime risk and the actions taken – including the integrated community leadership required – to remove or reduce it”.

The intent of this definition is to take an inclusive and truly preventative approach in order to predict, identify, prevent and reduce crime by addressing the risk factors associated with crime and victimization. This definition encourages communities to focus on the factors that precipitate the onset of criminal and anti-social behaviour through the proactive provision of measures that target all members of society including children and youth, the elderly, offenders, and victims.

‘Integrated community leadership’ is an essential part of crime prevention. Effective crime prevention strategies involve a multi-sectoral approach (academic institutions, community agencies, government, mental health agencies and police services among others) in an effort to build strong, cohesive, localized community capacity to effectively prevent crime.

Risk factors of crime

Risk factors are the negative characteristics and/or conditions present in individuals, families, communities or society that may increase the presence of crime or fear of crime in a community. These factors may also increase the likelihood that individuals engage in crime and/or become victims. It is important to note that these risk factors are multi-dimensional and overlap with each other.

Examples of these are listed in the table below.

Risk Factors
Individual Family/Peers Community Society
  • Behavioural problems
  • Poor educational achievement
  • Poor mental health
  • Prior criminal behaviour
  • Racism/Marginalization
  • Victimization/Abuse
  • Abuse
  • Few economic resources
  • Neglect
  • Negative parenting
  • Poor peer influences
  • Parent/sibling criminality
  • Crime in area
  • Few social services
  • High poverty concentration
  • Poor housing
  • Cultural norms supporting violence
  • Social disorganization
  • Negative media messaging

Any one single risk factor does not work in isolation to cause crime. Instead, research shows that:

“…the interaction and accumulation of risk factors increase the likelihood...” of delinquent or criminal behaviour “...not only because the effect of risk factors is cumulative, but also because they interact.” - Public Safety Canada

Protective factors

Protective factors
Individual Family/peers Community Society
  • Personal coping strategies
  • Strong attachment to adult
  • Positive school experience
  • Self-esteem
  • Self-efficacy
  • Sense of responsibility
  • Adequate parental supervision
  • Parent(s) engaged in child’s life
  • Positive peer influences
  • Housing in close proximity to services
  • Cohesive communities
  • Recreational facilities for youth
  • Low social tolerance of violence
  • High awareness of the determinants of well-being

Protective factors are positive elements that can mediate or moderate the effect of being exposed to risk factors and can help to foster healthier individuals, families and communities thereby increasing the safety of a community. Listed below are a number of general protective factors, including individual, familial and societal variables that may decrease the likelihood of crime and victimization. For a more complete list of risk and/or protective factors please refer to Appendix 1.

By focusing on building and improving protective factors and decreasing risk factors identified throughout this section, Ontarians can create healthier, stronger, safer communities and provide required supports and opportunities for individuals, thereby decreasing crime to a considerable degree.

Crime prevention approaches

Crime prevention can be achieved in various ways and at various points in time. Each stage in the chart illustrated below is extremely valuable and serves an important purpose. From the preventative perspective, the two key stages are:

  1. prevention prior to occurrence
  2. post-incarceration/community supervision
Table 2
Crime prevention approaches Prevention prior to occurrence of crime Arrest and post-arrestfootnote * Sentencing Incarceration Post incarceration/community supervision
Crime prevention opportunity Target risk factors of crime Identify and suppress crime Identify opportunities for alternative measures, diversion programs and mandatory programming Rehabilitate and treat offenders Reduce recidivism and influence offender decisions
Actions Predict
Intervene
Treat		 Enforce
Investigate
Apprehend		 Applying the appropriate sentencing option Incapacitate
Control
Rehabilitate		 Reintegrate
Predict
Intervene
Treat
Scope Risk factors of crime Criminal act Criminal act  &  risk factors of crime Criminal act &  risk factors of crime Risk factors of criminality
Recidivism
Focus Potential victims and potential offenders Accused/Actual Offender Actual offender Actual offender and actual victim Actual offender and actual victim

Crime prevention is not a static concept, its parameters change over time. Current crime prevention practices focus largely on targeting the risk factors that contribute to crime through social development approaches. The emphasis is on early intervention and focuses on combining two main types of crime prevention: situational and social development.

Situational crime prevention seeks to reduce the opportunity to commit crime in a particular time and place. As part of this approach, situations are altered to make it less likely that the potential offender will commit a crime.

Examples of situational crime prevention

  • surveillance and monitoring systems
  • crime Prevention through Environmental Design
  • car and home alarm systems

Crime Prevention through Social Development (CPSD) recognizes that the intersection of multiple, complex social, economic, health and environmental factors lead to criminality. CPSD involves long-term, sustainable, multi-agency, integrated actions that deal with the risk factors and divert people from the path of crime, and build protective factors that may mitigate those risks.

A strong community policing framework currently exists in Ontario and works concurrent to situational and social development crime prevention methods. The OACP defines community policing as the process by which police and other community members partner to improve community wellbeing, safety and security through joint problem identification, analysis, response and evaluation. The Ontario Police College training for new and existing recruits currently includes community policing.

Examples of crime prevention through social development

  • teaching parenting skills
  • improve literacy rates
  • provide aggression management and counselling
  • increase employment opportunities
  • community Engagement in developing pro-active initiatives

Footnotes

  • footnote[*] Back to paragraph Refers to the period between being arrested and being sentenced (if applicable). For example, being held in remand falls within the post-arrest category.