Violence escalation is defined as a single crime in progress that escalates into violence or escalates into further violence. Violent crime is rare relative to other crimes. However, the identification of violence escalation factors has become considerably more important in light of current active shooter and other mass murder incidents in schools, entertainment venues, workplaces,…
Emile Durkheim, a pioneer in criminology, suggested that crime was not indicative of a pathology or illness in society but at certain levels, crime was simply evidence of the normal functioning of communities. A normal level of crime, referred to as endemic crime, helps to define and solidify norms in society. Data analyzed by criminologist…
A successful security program or initiative should be rooted in sound crime prevention theory and research and designed for specific crime types. In the security field, opportunities are often referred to as vulnerabilities. There are ten principles of opportunity and crime: Opportunities play a role in causing all crime. Crime opportunities are highly specific. Crime…
Unraveled is the result of over 7 years of research to bridge the gap between criminology and private sector security and crime prevention efforts. With 600+ footnotes, the goal of this book is to improve upon our security and crime prevention decisions using evidence-based research. The objectives of the book are to: Understand the criminology…
Violent crimes represent a small but significant portion of the reported crime in the United States. Categorically, violent crimes occur at a much lower frequency as compared to property crimes and disorder crimes. However, violent crimes can cause significant harm. While a robust body of knowledge regarding the effectiveness of crime prevention measures for property…
Human trafficking has been identified as a global problem and occurs in most countries, including the United States. Traffickers use force, fraud and other coercive tactics to lure, exploit, and control victims. Youth are especially vulnerable to such tactics, particularly those with risk factors such as prior abuse and runaways. This article provides insights into…
In the United States, we often base criminal justice policy on ideology, rather than research. This sometimes results in time, effort, and money spent on crime prevention measures that are ineffective, or at best, untested. Groups within the public sector, private sector, and academia are changing this by implementing evidence-based practices. For example, in the…
Crime analysis is a set of evidence-based analytical techniques and processes used to quantitatively analyze crime and security data to support the planning and deployment of security and other resources to reduce and/or mitigate future crimes and security breaches at specific places. In prior writings on this topic, the author defined crime analysis as the…