Crime Categories Research Articles

Mental Wellbeing and Economics of Crime: A County Level Analysis in the U.S.

Increasing number of crimes has become an important problem of the economic development during the last decades. In addition to the economic and social determinants of criminal activities, access to healthcare services are considered as an important factor to decrease a person's risk of committing a crime. This study aims to analyze the impact of mental health problems on crime in an economic framework. Panel data on violent and property crimes for the counties for the period from 2011 to 2013 in the USA are employed. Based on information and statistics from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, and the SAMSHA, a simple model of crime is proposed to analyze the relationship of mental wellness and crime rate. A fixed - effect approach is used to estimate the potential correlation. Then, the findings are compared with the estimation results from one step dynamic panel model and between - groups model. The results from the fixed effect approach show that physical inactivity and number of mental health providers are significantly related to crime. An increase in the number of mental health providers results in decrease in all crime categories but grand larceny and property crimes per 100,000 people. Additionally, the estimation results from the between groups model are highly consist with estimations from the fixed effect results

Forensic Characteristics of Intentional Destruction or Damage of Property Belonging to a Law Enforcement Officer: Essence and Content

The subject matter of the study is the forensic characteristics of intentional destruction or damage of property belonging to law enforcement officers. The purpose of the article was to define the concept and components of the forensic characteristics of the studied crime.
 The author has used special research methods, namely: the method of system analysis, comparative and legal, system and structural methods.
 According to the results of the conducted study, the author has established that the circumstances to be clarified during the investigation, as well as the identification of a person who committed the crime, to some extent depend on the investigator’s knowledge of forensic characteristics of the crime he is investigating. The study of forensic characteristics for scientific purposes is the key to a thorough research and construction of other elements of the structure of forensic methodology.
 It has been determined that the term of “forensic characteristics of intentional destruction or damage of property belonging to a law enforcement officer” should be understood as a generalized system of information, based on the analysis of materials of investigative, judicial and expert practice, about typical and interrelated characteristics that can be used as indicative information while investigating this category of crimes.
 It has been established that the elements of the forensic characteristics of the studied crime include: the circumstances of the crime (time and place), modus operandi, tools and traces of its commission, the object of destruction or damage, the personality of the offender and the victim. According to the results of generalization of the practice of investigative and judicial agencies, each of the mentioned elements has been characterized.
 It has been proved that all the above elements of the forensic characteristics of intentional destruction or damage of property belonging to a law enforcement officer, are in some way interrelated, but each of them has a different level of dependence.

Forensic Characteristics of Crimes in the Field of Trafficking in Narcotic Drugs, Psychotropic Substances, Their Analogues or Precursors

The most topical problems of the elements of forensic characteristics of crimes in the field of trafficking in narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances, their analogues or precursors have been revealed. It has been established that this category of crimes existed and exists in all countries and types of society. The author has determined the criminogenic characteristics inherent to the offender and how his / her behavior is manifested during the commission of crimes in this area.
 A detailed theoretical characteristic of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances, their analogues and precursors has been provided; the method of committing the crime has been determined; the identity of an offender and a victim has been detailed; the concept of forensic characteristic as a source of information about this type of crime and its role in practical application has been theoretically defined.
 The focus is on the non-contact sale of drugs, which is becoming even more relevant and widespread in modern life. It has been emphasized that this type of drug trafficking is problematic due to the fact that it is difficult to detect and operative units’ officers cannot accomplish the evidentiary purchase.
 The author has presented the main conclusions about the importance of forensic characteristics as a source of information about this type of crime. Particular attention has been paid to the details of the person who uses drugs (a victim), the author has stated how personal danger is manifested for this category of people who use drugs. It has been established that offenses in this area cause significant damage to human health, have a destructive effect on marital and family relations, affect the development of the shadow sector in the economic environment, distort moral values, eliminate the motivation for a better life due to deteriorating mental and physical health of a human being and living conditions.

Effectiveness of CCTV systems as a crime preventive tool: evidence from eight Polish cities

ABSTRACT Based on data from eight Polish cities, we tested if closed-circuit television (CCTV) monitoring systems are effective in crime reduction and if the CCTV monitoring effects are durable. In a quasi-experimental method, we applied police data about four types of crime incidents in 2005–2014 as well as camera location. A preventive effect appeared in 10 of 17 of analysed paired treatment/comparison areas. The overall mean effect appears modest. In two of four cases, the preventive effects were durable. The analysis proves that CCTV cameras in the Polish cities had a crime reduction effect and the effect is sensitive for the category of crime. The influence of CCTV on the fall in crime in Poland is unlikely.

Преодолевая границы полицейских участков: сетевой анализ преступлений, совершенных в нескольких юрисдикциях

Objective: network analysis of multi-jurisdictional crime in the United States of America.Methods: dialectical approach to cognition of social phenomena, allowing to analyze them in historical development and functioning in the context of the totality of objective and subjective factors, which predetermined the following research methods: formal-logical, comparative-legal, and sociological. Results: in spite of the long-standing belief that crime is not restricted by arbitrary city or law enforcement jurisdictional boundaries, with a few exceptions, previous network studies relying on law enforcement data have been limited to criminal networks in one jurisdiction. Using incident and arrest data from seven law enforcement agencies in King County, Washington, the current study constructed crime specific multi-jurisdictional co-offending networks for four categories of crime: 1) violent, 2) property, 3) sex, and 4) domestic violence. Results indicate the existence of highly socially connected criminal networks in the county, with a higher percentage of offenders committing violent and property crime in two or more jurisdictions (16.8 and 29% respectively). Moreover, logistic regression models indicate that network position of an individual is a significant predictor of engaging in multi- jurisdictional offending. For violent crime, offenders with high betweenness centrality are likely to operate multi-jurisdictionally. Scientific novelty: the findings support the existence of a sizeable portion of offenders that cross jurisdictional boundaries to commit crime, implying the importance of sharing data among law enforcement jurisdictions.Practical significance: the main provisions and conclusions of the article can be used in scientific, pedagogical and law enforcement activities when considering issues related to the crime prevention and suppression.

Отзыв официального оппонента о диссертации З. М. Бешуковой «Механизм уголовно-правового противодействия экстремистской деятельности: содержание, структура, основные направления оптими- зации», представленной на соискание ученой степени доктора юридических наук по специальности 12.00.08

Objective: to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the doctoral thesis by Z. M. Beshukova on “Mechanism of criminal-legal counteraction to extremist activity: content, structure, main directions of optimization”, defended in 2021 in the Dissertation Council D 212.320.04 at Chechen State University.Methods: the dialectical method of cognition was used, which, taking into account the topic and content of the thesis, determined the choice of the following research methods: analysis, synthesis, comparative-legal method, etc.Results: the author’s concept is studied, aimed at increasing the level of criminal-legal counteraction to extremist activities. The relevance of the direction taken for the study is confirmed. The main directions of criminal policy optimization in the studied area are highlighted, including by demonstration of their content and structure. The main provisions submitted for defense are supported, which constitute the author’s research concept. The reviewer’s opinions on the thesis are presented, concerning the use of positive foreign experience in counteracting extremism, the proposed options for the terrorist and extremist crimes qualification, as well as the proposed legal conditions governing the grounds for exemption from criminal liability for persons who participated in the activities of an extremist organized group or extremist community. A critical evaluation was carried out for the main provisions of the thesis, for example, the absence of the author’s concept of extremist activity; the definition of goods and values in relation to which the goals are achieved and the functions of the criminal-legal counteraction to extremism are implemented; the author’s classification of terrorist crimes; the proposed version of Article 2821 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation “Creation of an extremist organized group, extremist community or participation in it”.Scientific novelty: the author evaluates the thesis by Z. M. Beshukova, submitted for the degree of Doctor of Law in the major “12.00.08 - Criminal Law and Criminology; Criminal Executive Law” on “Mechanism of criminal-legal counteraction to extremist activity: content, structure, main directions of optimization”, identifies its scientific achievements, defines the provisions that allow adjusting the criminal policy in the sphere of extremism counteraction.Practical significance: the review allows using the obtained results in all elements of legal technique focused on countering extremist activities.

Digital Evidence and Prohibitions of Evidence Evaluation

Since the first moment of the history of humanity, various means of evidence and evidence have been used to reach and detect the offender. As crime types and means of crime have changed and evolved, evidence detection and analysis methods have changed over time. At this point, with the rapid advancement of technology, the emergence of various and new types of crime that can affect many people at the same time in the global world is inevitable. Wherever you are in the world, it is now possible to commit crimes in one way or another that affect one or more people on the other side of the world through the Internet and digital systems. This, in turn, has led states to safeguard their cyber security. For this reason, firstly, it has made a legal regulation to protect its own citizens in domestic law and then it has been forced to cooperate internationally. The way in which classic crime types are committed and the method of evidence is different from the crimes committed through digital systems. The main purpose of the methods of obtaining and proving evidence is to reveal the material truth for a past event. There are also legal requirements, technical methods and scientifically accepted methodologies that must be followed when uncovering material truth. Because digital evidence is both different and more open to manipulation than other classical proofs, it is a matter of adherence to laws and technical rules when obtaining evidence. In order to obtain digital evidence in the Code of Criminal Procedure No. 5271; It has been arranged as a search, copy and seizure protection measure in computers, computer programs and files. Although the heading of the respective substance is initially considered only as a protection measure for computers, it will find application for all devices and systems containing digital data, as detailed below. Received: 5 June 2021 / Accepted: 15 July 2021 / Published: 5 September 2021

Forensic Classification of Food Security Crimes

Crimes committed in the field of food security are the subject of research in various legal sciences, including the forensic science. Despite the fact that such crimes are well known around the world, there is a lack of scientific research devoted to them, especially with a forensic focus. The author analyzes the academic literature on food security crimes, developed in several disciplines (criminal law, criminology, forensic science), and concludes that there is no scientific classification of the considered group of crimes from a forensic point of view. The paper outlines the author’s forensic classification of crimes in the field of food security, briefly describes the grounds for such a classification, and provides a definition of crimes in the field of food security as an object of forensic research.

On the Interaction between the Investigator and the Body of Inquiry in the Investigation and Solution of Illegal Establishment (Creation, Reorganization) of Juridical Entities

Currently the normative legal acts of Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs make the investigator responsible not only for the investigation, but also for the solution of crimes. The fulfillment of these tasks solely within the framework of investigatory actions is not always possible not only for grave and especially grave crimes, but also for publicly dangerous acts of small and medium gravity. An example of such a crime of small or, in the presence of some qualifying features – of medium gravity, is the illegal establishment (creation, reorganization) of a juridical entity, for which the identification of its founder and other participants, as well as the proof their guilt, presents certain difficulties. All this shows the vital necessity for cooperation between the investigator and the body of inquiry in the process of pre-court proceedings for the category of crimes under consideration. The author examines the stages and forms of the interaction of these subjects in the cases of illegal establishment of juridical entities. The analysis of investigation and court practice is used to summarize the problems in achieving an effective interaction. The author presents recommendations for improving the interaction between the investigator and the body of inquiry in solving and investigating illegal establishment of juridical entities.

Perlindungan Hukum Terhadap Anak Korban Eksploitasi Seksual Berdasarkan Hukum Islam

A good nation's children are a reflection of good quality, so they need to be protected to get the authority to grow, develop, and obtain a prosperous life. But at this time the protection and welfare of children is still lacking, one of which is the issue of sexual exploitation of children so that it becomes a category of crimes against humanity that must be avoided and destroyed. The purpose of this study is to discuss the legal arrangements for child exploitation contained in Islamic law and criminal sanctions against perpetrators of child exploitation according to Islamic law. The method used is a normative legal method with a statutory and conceptual approach to problems. The results of the discussion state that exploitation is a form of effort carried out to carry out a deepening of the capacity contained in an object, whether it is in the form of natural resources or otherwise, in terms of the relevance of a group/many of people, the factors that cause exploitation of children, namely poverty, effects of social conditions, motivation workers to families. Criminal sanctions for exploitation of children are in Law number 35 of 2014 Article 14 paragraph (1), Article 81 paragraph (1) and Article 82.

Mini-review of Street Crime Prediction and Classification Methods

Crime rates are one of the biggest problems in today’s modern society, especially in urban cities. Various techniques on crime prediction and detection have been developed by previous researchers in reducing the crime rates that keep increasing throughout the year as well as to assist the government authorities in combating crimes. These include studies on forecasting crime activities based on both primary and secondary data that include numerical data, statistics, video, and images related to various categories of crimes. Thus, in this study, a mini-review is conducted related to the database used as well as methods that have been developed by previous researches related to crime classification, crime analysis and forecasting of crime or crime prediction. Further, a new technique will be proposed in the detection of crime activities. The proposed technique involves evaluation and validation of several Deep Learning (DL) specifically the Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) along with the type of database to be used specifically for street crime detection that focuses on snatch theft.

Crime against Women in Cyber World

Information technology is like two side edge of human development, progress and profit as well as humiliation, suppression and subjugation especially in related to women it get more spiky and spiny. The cyber world is a virtual reality where everyone conceals their own identity. There are several crimes known and an unknown to normal person who is mostly women get victimized. Several criminal like hackers, crackers, and stalkers have institute methods and measures to hamper with internet accounts got access to user’s computer system may stole the important data of the user. If user is women then crimes like harassment through mail, cyber stalking, cyber sex, cyber defamation, photo morphing, non-consensual pornography, child pornography, cyber bullying, cyber grooming, publishing obscene material in electronic form etc. Present article will highlight especially about the nature and category of cyber crimes which may take place against women while using internet. The most important is the kind of measures and technique, skills used by the criminals through which victim may easily trap. It also will discuss about procedure for remedy to the women when they trapped under these kind cybercrime and legal provision and procedural aspect to get redress of this kind of situation. It is very indispensable that what kind key measures will be functional for online safety while using the internet.

Preventing outlaw biker crime in the Netherlands or just changing the dark figure? Estimating the impact of the Dutch whole-of-government approach on outlaw biker crime using interrupted time series analysis

Confronted with growing public concern about violence and other serious crime committed by outlaw motorcycle clubs, in 2012 the Dutch government launched a whole-of-government approach to discourage club membership and organized criminal behaviour. The whole-of-government approach included a zero tolerance policy towards crimes committed by outlaw bikers and increased law enforcement and prosecutorial attention towards members of outlaw motorcycle groups (OMCG members) and their support clubs. In this study, we estimate the effects of the whole-of-government approach on the level of prosecutorial charges levied against the Dutch biker population. We do so by applying (quasi-experimental) interrupted time series analysis to the conviction data available on 1617 Dutch OMCG members and 473 support club members in four recorded crime categories: overall crime, violent crime, organized crime and traffic offences. Although caveats remain, results indicate that the whole-of-government approach has a causal effect on the criminal involvement of OMCG and support club members, but that the nature of this effect depends on the type of crime and the subsample in question. Overall crime in the total sample seems unaffected by the approach, whereas organized crime committed by OMCG members is shown to decrease. We discuss whether the patterns observed are due to behavioural changes in OMCG and support club members, or whether they result from changes in police practices and, consequently, a changing dark figure of crime. We conclude our article with some reflections on future research.

Association Between Structural Housing Repairs for Low-Income Homeowners and Neighborhood Crime

The root causes of violent crime in Black urban neighborhoods are structural, including residential racial segregation and concentrated poverty. Previous work suggests that simple and scalable place-based environmental interventions can overcome the legacies of neighborhood disinvestment and have implications for health broadly and crime specifically. To assess whether structural repairs to the homes of low-income owners are associated with a reduction in nearby crime. This cross-sectional study using difference-in-differences analysis included data from the City of Philadelphia Basic Systems Repair Program (BSRP) from January 1, 2006, through April 30, 2013. The unit of analysis was block faces (single street segments between 2 consecutive intersecting streets) with or without homes that received the BSRP intervention. The blocks of homes that received BSRP services were compared with the blocks of eligible homes that were still on the waiting list. Data were analyzed from December 1, 2019, to February 28, 2021. The BSRP intervention includes a grant of up to $20 000 provided to low-income owners for structural repairs to electrical, plumbing, heating, and roofing damage. Eligible homeowners must meet income guidelines, which are set by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development and vary yearly. The main outcome was police-reported crime across 7 major categories of violent and nonviolent crimes (homicide, assault, burglary, theft, robbery, disorderly conduct, and public drunkenness). A total of 13 632 houses on 6732 block faces received the BSRP intervention. Owners of these homes had a mean (range) age of 56.5 (18-98) years, were predominantly Black (10 952 [78.6%]) or Latino (1658 [11.9%]) individuals, and had a mean monthly income of $993. These census tracts compared with those without BSRP intervention had a substantially larger Black population (49.5% vs 12.2%; |D| = 0.406) and higher unemployment rate (17.3% vs 9.3%; |D| = 0.357). The main regression analysis demonstrated that the addition to a block face of a property that received a BSRP intervention was associated with a 21.9% decrease in the expected count of total crime (incidence rate ratio [IRR], 0.78; 95% CI, 0.76-0.80; P < .001), 19.0% decrease in assault (IRR, 0.81; 95% CI, 0.79-0.84; P < .001), 22.6% decrease in robbery (IRR, 0.77; 95% CI, 0.75-0.80; P < .001), and 21.9% decrease in homicide (IRR, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.71-0.86; P < .001). When restricting the analysis to blocks with properties that had ever received a BSRP intervention, a total crime reduction of 25.4% was observed for each additional property (IRR, 0.75; 95% CI, 0.73-0.77; P < .001). A significant dose-dependent decrease in total crime was found such that the magnitude of association increased with higher numbers of homes participating in the BSRP on a block. This study found that the BSRP intervention was associated with a modest but significant reduction in crime. These findings suggest that intentional and targeted financial investment in structural, scalable, and sustainable place-based interventions in neighborhoods that are still experiencing the lasting consequences of structural racism and segregation is a vital step toward achieving health equity.

The Minimum Wage, EITC, and Criminal Recidivism

For recently released prisoners, the minimum wage and the availability of state Earned Income Tax Credits (EITCs) can influence both their ability to find employment and their potential legal wages relative to illegal sources of income, in turn affecting the probability they return to prison. Using administrative prison release records from nearly six million offenders released between 2000 and 2014, we use a difference-in-differences strategy to identify the effect of over two hundred state and federal minimum wage increases, as well as 21 state EITC programs, on recidivism. We find that the average minimum wage increase of $0.50 reduces the probability that men and women return to prison within 1 year by 2.8%. This implies that on average the effect of higher wages, drawing at least some released prisoners into the legal labor market, dominates any reduced employment in this population due to the minimum wage. These reductions in returns to incarcerations are observed for the potentially revenue generating crime categories of property and drug crimes; prison reentry for violent crimes are unchanged, supporting our framing that minimum wages affect crime that serves as a source of income. The availability of state EITCs also reduces recidivism, but only for women.

Dynamics of offenses during a pandemic COVID-19: domestic violence and cyber violence

Problem setting. Conditions created due to quarantine restrictions have made some categories of crimes more common. Some scientists underlinethat in Ukraine and, in particular, in the world, the following types of crimes related to quarantine restrictions are identified as fraud on the Internet, sale of substandard goods, dissemination of unverified and fake information online, speculation in medical devices, cybercrime aimed at obtaining and disseminatingconfidential personal data, fraud regarding incomplete or false information about online job, including information on wages, crimes related to drug trafficking, domestic violence and exploitation, theft of food and other necessities, car and burglary. We propose to consider this negative social dynamics onsuch offences as cyberbullying and domestic violence. Since the quarantine the number of these acts increased due to the joint long stay in one room and huge involvment in virtual activities online. Target of research. The main purpose of this study is to generalize the theoretical and legal foundations of the phenomena of cyberbullying and domestic violence. It is also possible to identify the main features andthe forms of manifestation of these offences by cooperating and comparing data on violence; and researching waystoprevent and combat these offenses within the framework of national legislation. Analysis of resent researches and publications. A large number of specialists and scientistsin ukrainian law have studied the concepts of cyberbullying and domestic violence. Among such scientists there are: Anosova Y., Kapur A., Vedernikova A., Golovko O., Dudorov O., Novikova M. and many others. Article’s main body. This study emphasizes the urgency of combating violence, including in cyberspace. In our opinion, the very concept of ‘cyberbullying’ should be highlighted within this topic. The peculiarity of this type of violence is that it is a symbiosis of physical and psychological violence that threatens the physical, mental health and even the life of a dude and manifests itself in cyberspace. It is important to note that only one of the manifestations of cyberbullying has been reflected in public policy in the field of preventing and combating bullying in the field of education. Another category of offenses exacerbated during the pandemic is domestic violence. The vast majority of victims from thisviolence did not report their incidents of physical and / or sexual violence to law enforcement, thus being a major problem with impunity for domestic violence in ukrainiansociety. In our opinion, it is also appropriate to analyze the concepts of ‘cyberbullying’ and ‘domestic violence’ by comparing the common and distinctive features of these concepts, as the trend of increasing the level of these offenses suggests the similarity of the preconditions for their occurrence. According to the scientific results we can conclude that these offenceshave many common features. It’s possible to realize the common features and preconditions of spreading these types of offences. Conclusions and prospects for the development. The COVID-19 pandemic will really leave a noticeable mark in the life of each of us, because it has already affected our traditional areas of activity, including education, economics, medicine, etc. Unfortunately, the level of certain types of offenses increased significantlyduring quarantine.They include cybercrimes and domestic violence. The researchconsidered the main forms of these types of violence, as well as waysto prevent and combat these offenses by issuing certain norms innational legislation.

Criminal legal basis for an expedited trial procedure provided by the chapter 40 of the Russian Criminal Procedure Code

The subject of study is the criminal-legal basis for an expedited procedure for adopting a court ruling when the accused person agrees with the charge. These issues are relevant, since in July 2020 the substantive legal basis of the expedited procedure in Russia was changed and now this procedure can only be applied in criminal cases of small and medium gravity.The aim of this work is to study the substantive legal basis of an expedited procedure of litigation from the point of view of the changes were made to it. The author expresses the thesis that the legislators did not quite reasonably link criminal-legal grounds of the expedited procedure with the system of categories of crimes.The methodology. The author used general scientific methods (dialectical, historical, methods of formal logic, system analysis) as well as method of formal legal interpretation of Russian Criminal Code and judicial decisions of Russian courts.The main results, scope of application. The criminal and legal basis of certain criminal procedure is a package of criminal law standards, for the implementation of which a certain criminal and procedural form is intended. The parameters of the substantive basis of criminal proceedings are set with the signs that shall be indicated in the Code of Criminal Procedure and may change. It directly refers to the expedited procedure for adopting a court ruling, by Chapter 40 of the Russian Criminal Procedure Code. Initially, it was assumed that the application of this procedure is permissible in criminal cases concerning crimes the punishment for which does not exceed 5 years imprisonment in accordance with the Russian Criminal Code. The expedited court proceedings began to be applied in criminal cases concerning crimes, the punishment for which does not exceed 10 years imprisonment in accordance with the Russian Criminal Code, since 2003. The Russian Supreme Court made an attempt to reduce the application of court proceedings provided by Chapter 40 of the Russian Criminal Procedure Code in 2019. It turned out to be successful. Legislators have changed the basic criterion that determines the substantive basis for an expedited procedure for adopting a court ruling. Now the system of categories of crimes is this basis. The system of categories of crimes presented in Article 15 of the Russian Criminal Code is not stable enough and is based on a set of provisions of this Code, but the sanctions for many crimes are not scientifically and practically grounded in this Code. In addition, the classification of crimes enshrined in Article 15 of the Russian Criminal Code is based on such a criterion as the nature and degree of public danger of the crime. These categories are among the most complex in the science of criminal law.Conclusions. The use of categories of crimes as a criterion for determining the criminal legal basis of the expedited procedure for making a court decision significantly complicates the application of the expedited procedure.

Tipuri de investigații sub acoperire

In Eastern European countries, undercover investigation appears under different names such as: the use of undercover investigators; operative infiltration; carrying out a special mission within an organized group or a criminal organization, the particularities are common. The differences refer to the legal limits of the activity of the undercover investigator as well as to the forms of use of the information obtained. The undercover investigation is mainly applied to the detection of drug trafficking, arms trafficking, corruption and organized crime. So, the types of undercover investigation, resulting from the positive practice of the criminal investigation bodies, foreshadow an efficient methodology of investigating these categories of crimes.

No time for crime? The effect of compulsory engagement on youth crime

AbstractThis paper examines the potential incapacitation effect on various categories of crime committed by young persons. I exploit the increase in compulsory education‐work participation age from 15 to 17 in Australia's largest state. The policy primarily increased participation in schools with high enrolments in school‐based vocational education programs. By using incidents of crime, I incorporate incapacitation effects on crimes that do not lead to arrests and provide net effect of the policy. Results show substantial reduction in incidents of crime, particularly by male offenders in urban areas and suggest that the policy did not displace crime from streets to schools. Crimes against property, which are often diverted from the criminal justice system, show the largest decline.

A Heuristic Approach to Crime Prediction based on Generalization of Crime Categories

Background: As crime rates are increasing all over the world, many methods for crime prediction based on data mining have been proposed in the past. Crime prediction finds application in areas like predictive policing, Hotspot evaluation and geographic profiling. It has been observed in the past that crime is closely related to geographical location, time, weather conditions and day of the week. Objective: Thus, to tackle crime events, a proactive policing approach can be developed using crime prediction. The main objective of this study is to provide a heuristic approach to crime prediction. Method: In this work, a crime prediction approach is proposed which utilizes a crime history dataset which contains multiple categories of crime. And a heuristic approach based on the generalization of crime categories is proposed. A spatiotemporal crime prediction technique based on machine learning techniques is proposed. State-of-the-art classification approaches along with ensemble learning approach are used for prediction. Results: The performance of the proposed model is compared using state-of-the-art classification techniques without a heuristic approach and with a heuristic approach, and it is found that the model with heuristics achieves better accuracy. Conclusion: Crime events dataset can be utilized to predict future crime events in an area because crime shows geographical patterns. These spatial patterns might vary with the category of crime and it is challenging to deal with lots of crime categories. Thus, a generalization based approach can be a vital asset in crime prediction.