Some Problems with Place‐Based Crime Policies

• Author: Dan A. Black,Kyung Park
• Published date: 01 May 2012
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-9133.2012.00811.x
• Date: 01 May 2012

POLICY ESSAY

CRIME REDUCTION THROUGH A

REGULATORY APPROACH

Some Problems with Place-Based Crime

Policies

Dan A. Black

University of Chicago, NORC, and IZA

Kyung P ark

University of Chicago

Existing crime policies are focused on raising the costs of crime for those committing

the crime. For example, our drug policy attempts to deter drug crimes by increasing

penalties or probabilities of capture. Eck and Eck (2012, this issue) argue that this

approach ignores the growing body of evidence that suggests the majority of crime is place-

specific. Dark alleys, decrepit buildings, and other places create opportunities for crime that

otherwise may not have taken place. In other words, it is not just people that cause crimes,

but places literally can cause crimes too. Under this framework, there may be substantial

efficiency gains by tailoring crime policies in ways that provide incentives for building,

motel, bar, and other proprietors to reduce crime. In this essay, we examine the merits of

place-based crime policy.

The fundamental idea driving place-based policy is that a causal link exists between

locations and crime. This idea seems plausible. Crimes occur when offenders and their

potential targets interact in situations in which there are no means to control their behavior.

For instance, two antagonists will be more likely to fight at a bar without a bouncer than

one that employs a bouncer. The bar with the bouncer includes a credible punishment

mechanism that forces actors to control their behavior. Extending this idea, if proprietors

would change their location-specific environments in ways that generally discourage crime,

this could reduce the number of uncontrolled interactions, which in turn, could reduce

crime overall.

To make this case, however, two arguments must be true. First, proprietors do not

fully internalize the externalities associated with criminal behavior that they facilitate by

Direct correspondence to Dan A. Black, Harris School, University of Chicago, 1155 E. 60th Street, Chicago,

IL 60637 (e-mail: danblack@uchicago.edu).

DOI:10.1111/j.1745-9133.2012.00811.x C2012 American Society of Criminology 327

Criminology & Public Policy rVolume 11 rIssue 2