U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

NCJRS Virtual Library

The Virtual Library houses over 235,000 criminal justice resources, including all known OJP works.
Click here to search the NCJRS Virtual Library

Investing Wisely in Crime Prevention: International Experiences

NCJ Number
182412
Author(s)
Irvin Waller; Daniel Sansfacon
Date Published
September 2000
Length
27 pages
Annotation
This monograph analyzes opportunities for further crime reduction in the United States by looking at trends in other countries.
Abstract
The document examines crime reduction trends in the United Kingdom (U.K.), the Netherlands, France, and New Zealand. It focuses on the economic returns Americans may receive from investing in prevention. By a three to one margin, Americans are ready either to pay more taxes or to forgo a tax cut to provide children access to early childhood development programs and quality after school activities, because they believe these programs greatly reduce violence. The monograph considers the question of whether public funds should be invested in such programs. The document is divided into 11 chapters: (1) Should America Look at International Experience to Improve Safety? (2) Crime Trends Better, But Still Worse Than They Were; (3) Efforts to Reduce Crime Show Results; (4) Risk Factors Are Well Established, But Overlooked; (5) Projects That Tackle Risk Factors Achieve Big Reductions; (6) Tackling Risk Factors Pays Off; (7) U.K. Turns to Prevention To Spend Better, Not More; (8) France Pioneered Local Prevention Contracts, Now Creates Prevention Jobs; (9) The Netherlands Uses Learning-Based Strategies; (10) New Zealand Puts Prevention Where It Matters Most; and (11) Conclusion: Good Governance for Crime Prevention. Figures, bibliography, references, resources