Using Ethnography to Identify Deviant Behaviors, for the Development of Crime Prevention Interventions

Abstract

This paper introduces a crime prevention methodology that focuses on deviant beliefs and behaviors. Situated between developmental and environmental crime prevention approaches, this empirical study utilized ethnographical methods to identify potential and active deviants and their support networks. Interventions were implemented through the community program of Neighborhood Watch, which focused on the identified deviant communities before the actuation of a burglary crime. Comparison between the pre-intervention period and intervention periods show the incidence of burglary crime reducing by 42%. If validated through replication, other fields that engage with active actors, such as insurgents, gangs, and terrorists, may have similar success.