Crime prevention through environmental design - Essay Example

Through CPTED, people's lives will improve since they will no longer fear for any vandalism that may occur ("CPTED Crime," para 1). CPTED theories state that in order to attain a crime-free environment, the community should not rely on the law enforcers alone. An interaction among law enforcement officers, architects, city planners, landscape and interior designers and resident volunteers is deemed necessary to stop vandalism. Through a 'built environment' that is obtained by this interaction among the major participants in building a community, the occurrence of crime will be averted.

CPTED's 'built environment' is basically building a community such that its physical environment positively influences human behaviors wherein people who live in the area perceives it to be a safe environment where law offenders will find it too risky to commit any crime within the area ("CPTED Crime," para 9). For communities who have utilized the CPTED concepts, the results were impressive. Criminal activity were reported to have decreased for as much as 40% ("CPTED Crime," para 3). There are four main principles that cover crime prevention through environmental design.

Natural access control is one strategy where it encourages the community to create a differentiation between public and private places. By selectively placing entrances and exits, fencing, lighting and landscape to limit access or control flow, natural access control occurs ("Crime prevention," para 26). Streets and sidewalks should be planned and designed in manners that would limit offenders an access to commit crimes ("CPTED Crime," para 6). Natural surveillance is another strategy adopted by CPTED that encourages maximum visibility of people and areas that may be potential spots for offenders to commit a crime.

Architectural designs of buildings including residential edifices must obtain natural surveillance of the various areas that may provide access to lawbreakers and harm the community. Maximum visibility includes proper nighttime lightings along the sidewalks and residential buildings in order to limit the escape routes for the criminals ("CPTED Crime," para 4 & "Crime prevention," para 23). Territorial reinforcement on the other hand is another concept of CPTED that promotes social control through increased definition of space and proprietary concern.

Landscape designs are used in order to strengthen a sense of ownership of a certain property where intruders are easily identified. Fences and signs are most commonly used territorial designs that follows this CPTED strategy ("CPTED Crime," para 5 & "Crime prevention," para 29).Lastly, target hardening is the most popularly known strategy that prevents the occurrence of a criminal act. This concept basically refers to the different features that prohibit law offenders from entering any premises through locks and bolts that are found in windows and doors ("CPTED Crime," para 6).

Furthermore, there are two other strategies that CPTED utilizes in preventing crimes. Maintenance and activity support are two other activities that CPTED promotes. ("Crime prevention," para 33) In Herkimer, New York's most recent crime statistics, larceny obtains to have one of the most offenses among other kinds of crimes. Thus, a more comprehensive program must be developed in order to prevent further increase in crime rates that does not alone involve