Evaluating citizen crime prevention programs

Robert K. Yin

Expert InsightsPublished 1977

The potential effects of citizen crime prevention activities are difficult to evaluate because of the state of the art of evaluation methodology. By definition, citizen-initiated or voluntary interventions cannot be manipulated by an evaluator, making experimental and control sites difficult to establish, and the costs of the evaluation are likely to be higher than the costs of supporting the voluntary activity. Furthermore, the key activities of residents in crime prevention programs consist of informal interactions that are difficult to measure. Thus, different criteria should be used for setting priorities and supporting voluntary crime prevention programs: (1) Since citizen crime prevention activities are low in cost, they should be encouraged unless there is compelling evidence of ineffectiveness. (2) Evaluation results should be de-emphasized and resource-allocation based on traditional political criteria--e.g., whether political leaders and citizens desire such programs.

Topics

Document Details

  • Copyright: RAND Corporation
  • Availability: Web Only
  • Year: 1977
  • Pages: 19
  • Document Number: P-5853

Citation

Chicago Manual of Style

Yin, Robert K., Evaluating citizen crime prevention programs. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 1977. https://www.rand.org/pubs/papers/P5853.html.
BibTeX RIS

This publication is part of the RAND paper series. The paper series was a product of RAND from 1948 to 2003 that captured speeches, memorials, and derivative research, usually prepared on authors' own time and meant to be the scholarly or scientific contribution of individual authors to their professional fields. Papers were less formal than reports and did not require rigorous peer review.

This document and trademark(s) contained herein are protected by law. This representation of RAND intellectual property is provided for noncommercial use only. Unauthorized posting of this publication online is prohibited; linking directly to this product page is encouraged. Permission is required from RAND to reproduce, or reuse in another form, any of its research documents for commercial purposes. For information on reprint and reuse permissions, please visit www.rand.org/pubs/permissions.

RAND is a nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and decisionmaking through research and analysis. RAND's publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors.