Abstract
In recent years, crime scholars and practitioners have pointed to the potential benefits of focusing police crime prevention efforts on crime places. Research suggests that there is significant clustering of crime in small places or “hot spots.” A number of researchers have argued that crime problems can be reduced more efficiently if police officers focused their attention to these deviant places. General deterrence and criminal opportunities theories are often applied to understand the crime control effectiveness of hot spots policing. The available evaluation evidence suggests that hot spots policing generates noteworthy crime reductions and these crime control benefits diffuse into areas immediately surrounding targeted crime hot spots. Moreover, problem-oriented policing interventions seem to generate larger crime control impacts when compared to interventions that simply increase levels of traditional police actions in crime hot spots. To improve their legitimacy in disadvantaged minority neighborhoods, police departments should engage collaborative, community problem-solving approaches to address crime hot spots.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Apel, R. J., & Nagin, D. (2011). General deterrence: A review of recent evidence. In J. Q. Wilson & J. Petersilia (Eds.), Crime and public policy (pp. 411–436). New York: Oxford University Press.
Blumstein, A., Cohen, J., & Nagin, D. (1978). Deterrence and incapacitation: Estimating the effects of criminal sanctions on crime rates. Washington, DC: National Academy of Sciences.
Braga, A. A. (2001). The effects of hot spots policing on crime. The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 578, 104–125.
Braga, A. A. (2005). Hot spots policing and crime prevention: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials. Journal of Experimental Criminology, 1, 317–342.
Braga, A. A., & Bond, B. (2008). Policing crime and disorder hot spots: A randomized controlled trial. Criminology, 46, 577–608.
Braga, A. A., Hureau, D., & Papachristos, A. (2011a). The relevance of micro places to citywide robbery trends: A longitudinal analysis of robbery incidents at street corners and block faces in Boston. Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, 48, 7–32.
Braga, A. A., Hureau, D., & Papachristos, A. (2011b). An ex-post-facto evaluation framework for place-based police interventions. Evaluation Review, 35, 592–626.
Braga, A. A., Papachristos, A., & Hureau, D. (2010). The concentration and stability of gun violence at micro places in Boston, 1980–2008. Journal of Quantitative Criminology, 26, 33–53.
Braga, A. A., Papachristos, A., & Hureau, D. (2014). The effects of hot spots policing on crime: An updated systematic review and meta-analysis. Justice Quarterly, 31, 633–663.
Braga, A. A., & Weisburd, D. (2010). Policing problem places: Crime hot spots and effective prevention. New York: Oxford University Press.
Braga, A. A., Weisburd, D., Waring, E., et al. (1999). Problem-oriented policing in violent crime places: A randomized controlled experiment. Criminology, 37, 541–580.
Brantingham, P. J., & Brantingham, P. L. (Eds.). (1981). Environmental criminology. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.
Brown, L., & Wycoff, M. (1987). Policing Houston: Reducing fear and improving service. Crime & Delinquency, 33, 71–89.
Caeti, T. (1999). Houston’s targeted beat program: A quasi-experimental test of police patrol strategies. Dissertation, Sam Houston State University.
Cohen, J., Gorr, W., & Singh, P. (2003). Estimating intervention effects in varying risk settings: Do police raids reduce illegal drug dealing at nuisance bars? Criminology, 41, 257–292.
Cohen, L. E., & Felson, M. (1979). Social change and crime rate trends: A routine activity approach. American Sociological Review, 44, 588–605.
Cook, P. J. (1980). Research in criminal deterrence: Laying the groundwork for the second decade. In N. Morris & M. Tonry (Eds.), Crime and justice: An annual review of research (Vol. 2, pp. 211–268). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Cornish, D., & Clarke, R. V. (Eds.). (1986). The reasoning criminal: Rational choice perspectives on offending. New York: Springer.
Crow, W. J., & Bull, J. L. (1975). Robbery deterrence: An applied behavioral science demonstration. La Jolla, CA: Western Behavioral Sciences Institute.
Criminal Justice Commission. (1998). Beenleigh calls for service project: Evaluation report. Brisbane, QLD: Criminal Justice Commission.
DiTella, R., & Schargrodsky, E. (2004). Do police reduce crime? Estimates using the allocation of police forces after a terrorist attack. American Economic Review, 94, 115–133.
Durlauf, S., & Nagin, D. (2011). Imprisonment and crime: Can both be reduced? Criminology & Public Policy, 10, 13–54.
Eck, J. (2002). Preventing crime at places. In L. Sherman, D. Farrington, B. Welsh, et al. (Eds.), Evidence-based crime prevention (pp. 241–294). New York: Routledge.
Eck, J., & Weisburd, D. (1995). Crime places in crime theory. In J. Eck & D. Weisburd (Eds.), Crime and place (pp. 1–34). Monsey, NY: Criminal Justice Press.
Farrington, D., & Petrosino, A. (2001). The Campbell collaboration crime and justice group. Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 578, 35–49.
Forrester, D., Chatterton, M., & Pease, K. (1988). The Kirkholt burglary prevention project, Home Office crime prevention unit paper 13. London: Home Office.
Gibbs, J. P. (1975). Crime, punishment, and deterrence. New York: Elsevier.
Goldstein, H. (1990). Problem-oriented policing. Philadelphia: Temple University Press.
Hope, T. (1994). Problem-oriented policing and drug market locations. Crime Prevention Studies, 2, 5–32.
Lawton, B., Taylor, R., & Luongo, A. (2005). Police officers on drug corners in Philadelphia: Intended, diffusion, and displacement impacts. Justice Quarterly, 22, 427–451.
Lipsey, M., & Wilson, D. B. (2001). Practical meta-analysis. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Mazerolle, L., Price, J., & Roehl, J. (2000). Civil remedies and drug control: A randomized field trial in Oakland, California. Evaluation Review, 24, 212–241.
Nagin, D. S. (2013). Deterrence in the 21st century: A review of the evidence. In M. Tonry (Ed.), Crime and justice: A review of research (Vol. 42, pp. 199–263). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Pate, A., & Skogan, W. (1985). Coordinated community policing: The Newark experience. Washington, DC: Police Foundation.
Paternoster, R. (1987). The deterrent effect of the perceived certainty and severity of punishment: A review of the evidence and issues. Justice Quarterly, 4, 173–217.
Petrosino, A., Boruch, R., Soydan, H., et al. (2001). Meeting the challenge of evidence-based policy: The Campbell collaboration. Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 578, 14–34.
Pierce, G., Spaar, S., & Briggs, L. (1988). The character of police work: Strategic and tactical implications. Boston: Center for Applied Social Research, Northeastern University.
Police Executive Research Forum. (2008). Violent crime in America: What we know about hot spots enforcement. Washington, DC: Police Executive Research Forum.
Ratcliffe, J., Taniguchi, T., Groff, E., et al. (2011). The Philadelphia foot patrol experiment: A randomized controlled trial of police patrol effectiveness in violent crime hot spots. Criminology, 49, 795–831.
Robinson, J., Lawton, B., Taylor, R., et al. (2003). Multilevel longitudinal impacts of incivilities: Fear of crime, expected safety, and block satisfaction. Journal of Quantitative Criminology, 19, 237–274.
Sherman, L., Buerger, M., & Gartin, P. (1989a). Beyond dial-a-cop: A randomized test of repeat call policing (RECAP). Washington, DC: Crime Control Institute.
Sherman, L., & Eck, J. (2002). Policing for crime prevention. In L. Sherman, D. Farrington, B. Welsh, et al. (Eds.), Evidence-based crime prevention (pp. 295–329). New York: Routledge.
Sherman, L., Gartin, P., & Buerger, M. (1989b). Hot spots of predatory crime: Routine activities and the criminology of place. Criminology, 27, 27–56.
Sherman, L., & Rogan, D. (1995a). Effects of gun seizures on gun violence: ‘Hot spots’ patrol in Kansas City. Justice Quarterly, 12, 673–694.
Sherman, L., & Rogan, D. (1995b). Deterrent effects of police raids on crack houses: A randomized controlled experiment. Justice Quarterly, 12, 755–782.
Sherman, L., & Weisburd, D. (1995). General deterrent effects of police patrol in crime hot spots: A randomized controlled trial. Justice Quarterly, 12, 625–648.
Sviridoff, M., Sadd, S., Curtis, R., et al. (1992). The neighborhood effects of street-level drug enforcement: Tactical narcotics teams in New York. New York: Vera Institute of Justice.
Skogan, W., & Frydl, K. (Eds.). (2004). Fairness and effectiveness in policing: The evidence. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
Skogan, W., & Meares, T. (2004). Lawful policing. Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 593, 66–83.
Spelman, W. (1995). Criminal careers of public places. In J. Eck & D. Weisburd (Eds.), Crime and place (pp. 115–144). Monsey, NY: Criminal Justice Press.
Taylor, B., Koper, C., & Woods, D. (2011). A randomized controlled trial of different policing strategies at hot spots of violent crime. Journal of Experimental Criminology, 7, 149–181.
Taylor, R. (1997). Social order and disorder of street-blocks and neighborhoods: Ecology, micro-ecology, and the systematic model of social disorganization. Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, 34, 113–155.
Taylor, R. (2001). Breaking away from broken windows. Boulder, CO: Westview Press.
Taylor, R., & Gottfredson, S. (1986). Environment design, crime, and prevention: An examination of community dynamics. In A. J. Reiss & M. Tonry (Eds.), Communities and crime (pp. 387–416). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Tyler, T. R. (2001). Public trust and confidence in legal authorities. Behavioral Sciences & the Law, 19, 215–235.
Tyler, T. R. (2006). Why people obey the law. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
Weisburd, D. L. (2008). Place-based policing. Ideas in American policing series, no 9. Washington, DC: Police Foundation.
Weisburd, D. L., Bushway, S., Lum, C., et al. (2004). Trajectories of crime at places: A longitudinal study of street segments in the city of Seattle. Criminology, 42, 283–322.
Weisburd, D. L., & Eck, J. (2004). What can police do to reduce crime, disorder, and fear? Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 593, 42–65.
Weisburd, D. L., & Green, L. (1994). Defining the drug market: The case of the Jersey City DMAP system. In D. L. MacKenzie & C. Uchida (Eds.), Drugs and crime (pp. 61–76). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
Weisburd, D. L., & Green, L. (1995). Policing drug hot spots: The Jersey City DMA experiment. Justice Quarterly, 12, 711–736.
Weisburd, D. L., Maher, L., & Sherman, L. (1992). Contrasting crime general and crime specific theory: The case of hot spots of crime. Advances in Criminological Theory, 4, 45–69.
Weisburd, D. L., Mastrofski, S., McNally, A. M., et al. (2003). Reforming to preserve: Compstat and strategic problem solving in American policing. Criminology & Public Policy, 2, 421–456.
Weisburd, D. L., Wyckoff, L., Ready, J., et al. (2006). Does crime just move around the corner? A controlled study of spatial displacement and diffusion of crime control benefits. Criminology, 44, 549–592.
Wilson, D. B. (2001). Meta-analytic methods for criminology. The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 578, 71–89.
Wycoff, M., & Skogan, W. (1986). Storefront police offices: The Houston field test. In D. Rosenbaum (Ed.), Community crime prevention (pp. 179–199). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Zimring, F., & Hawkins, G. (1973). Deterrence. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2017 Springer International Publishing Switzerland
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Braga, A.A. (2017). Hot Spots Policing: Theoretical Perspectives, Scientific Evidence, and Proper Implementation. In: Teasdale, B., Bradley, M. (eds) Preventing Crime and Violence. Advances in Prevention Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-44124-5_23
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-44124-5_23
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-44122-1
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-44124-5
eBook Packages: Law and CriminologyLaw and Criminology (R0)