Crime, place, policy, and politics

Over several decades, a robust body of empirical evidence has developed concerning crime occurring at specific locations, often referred to as “hot spots” (NASEM, 2018). Among researchers, it is well understood that there are efficiencies associated with attending to these geographic crime concentrations.

In this “review of reviews,” we examine systematic reviews of place-based anti-crime strategies, discuss the policy implications of this research, and examine the obstacles associated with disseminating place-based and other research findings in an era increasingly defined by political polarization. We also explore how these obstacles might be overcome.

Our examination of 17 systematic reviews demonstrates that (1) the large majority of place-based interventions have meaningful impacts on crime and violence, (2) these strategies do not substantially displace crime to nearby areas, (3) the effect sizes associated with these interventions are typically described as modest to moderate, and (4) the place-based strategies that feature policing generally have larger effects than those that feature green space, urban upgrading, or situational crime prevention strategies.

From these findings, we draw the following commonsense conclusions: when using place-based strategies to fight crime, policymakers and practitioners should target the places where crime concentrates and use a combination of enforcement and non-enforcement approaches that feature community-oriented problem-solving.

Despite the apparent simplicity of these findings, translating them into policy is challenging due to communication gaps between researchers and policymakers and also political constraints. While researchers may have limited options in addressing the latter challenge, the former may be overcome by using clear, direct communication that aligns with the public's apparent preference for balanced approaches to crime reduction. Future research should focus on refining these findings, improving communication about them with policymakers, and ensuring that they are implementable in real-world settings.