A 9 page research paper that offers an examination of this topic and a design for a proposed research study, which is designed in response to a mayor's request to determine if a Neighborhood Watch program instituted in a small suburb of a large metropolitan area has had an effect on the volume of complaints received concerning suspicious behavior, deviant behavior and crime. The theoretical foundation for the study draws upon the Classical theory of criminology. Bibliography lists 4 sources.
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these programs all refer to the concept that neighborhood residents can reduce the incidence of crime in their communities when they "look for and report suspicious incidents to the police
and thereby perhaps deter potential offenders from committing a crime" (Holloway, Bennett and Farrington 8). The 2000 National Crime Prevention Survey indicates that roughly 41 percent of American communities are
covered by some form of Neighborhood Watch, which makes this strategy the "largest single organized crime prevention activity in the nation" (Holloway, Bennett and Farrington 8). Obviously, neighborhood watch
programs constitute a considerable investment of local time, resources and funding. Therefore, it is quite reasonable to consider the effectiveness of this strategy at actually reducing the incidence of community
crime. The following examination of this topic offers a design for a proposed research study, which is designed in response to a mayors request to determine if a Neighborhood
Watch program instituted in a small suburb of a large metropolitan area has had an effect on the volume of complaints received concerning suspicious behavior, deviant behavior and crime. The
theoretical foundation for the study draws upon the Classical theory of criminology. The Classical School Classical criminologists, such as Cesare Beccaria and Jeremy Bentham, subscribe to specific set
of ideas in regards to the motivations of criminals. Some of these principles are that human beings are rational; the human will controls behavior, i.e, people are free to choose
their actions; and fear is the principal means for controlling antisocial behavior, i.e., the fear of pain and/or punishment (Greek). As positivist explanations for the motivations behind criminal behavior
began to emerge, the classical theory became less dominant; however, in modern justice system, the concept of "free will explanations for criminal behavior" have never been completed rejected (Greek). This