Theoretical and Applied Fundamentals of Crime Reduction Strategy: Current Experience and Prospects

Abstract

The paper considers theoretical and applied fundamentals of the modern crime prevention strategy, evaluation of experience and prospects of implementation of it in Ukraine. Namely, the obsolete traditional post-Soviet criminological theory of combating crime is under discussion. In light of this, it is proposed to examine the latest theoretical developments of foreign criminologists, in particular, from the United Kingdom and the United States. The author points out that the modern theory of crime reduction encapsulates methodological pluralism, relativism, eclecticism of many conceptual approaches to explain causes and conditions, as well as methods of influencing crime. Rational choice theory and social (economic) determinism, the most significant as follows from their content, have been considered. Rational choice theory is based on the assumption that an individual who freely chooses a criminal conduct tries to produce the maximum advantage of his/her actions. With reference to the problems of crime, the theory of social (economic) determinism focuses on finding correlations between criminal manifestations, negative dynamics of crime and economic structure of society, and market relations of modern capitalism. The author concludes that the strategy under examination is a crime prevention course, which provides for minimization of the presence at the local level of external conditions for common (but not all) types of crimes; increasing the level of risks for criminals; enhancing the watchfulness of citizens; preventive partnership between the police and public; diminishing the state monopoly on crime control. The paper suggests a structure of preventive ways of strategy aimed at reducing the opportunities of crimes, namely: preventive local patrolling; applied measures of the broken windows theory; neighborhood watch programs; labeling of goods and things; use of modern security technologies; crime mapping; use of artificial intelligence, and other achievements in various areas of expertise.