Environmental Criminology, Design, and Victimization

Abstract

Environmental criminology, and spatial-temporal criminology more generally, has the potential to contribute to the understanding of victimization. After reviewing the principle theoretical components of environmental criminology, we outline how environmental criminology has contributed to the understanding of victimization, where it has failed, and future directions for research and theory. Overall, we argue that despite the potential for environmental criminology to contribute to the study of victimization, little research is done on victimization within environmental criminology. Moreover, we discuss how certain crime prevention strategies have led to unintended consequences, such as further victimization of poor and marginalized groups. We conclude with recommendations of how to move the field of environmental criminology forward by considering victims and victimology more broadly.