This paper examines the role of defensible space theory - efforts to design buildings and public spaces in a way that reduces the ability to commit crime - within the Irish planning system, and to...Show moreThis paper examines the role of defensible space theory - efforts to design buildings and public spaces in a way that reduces the ability to commit crime - within the Irish planning system, and to what extent that the Irish anti-social behaviour strategies include and adapt such theories. Across analysis of municipal and national level planning strategies within recent decades, this paper tracks the inclusion and non-inclusion of defensible space and related topics within government literature, as well as the research gap into defensible space within Ireland. Three Dublin case studies with a strong historic presence of anti-social behaviour - the Fatima Mansions, O’Connell Street, and Portobello Plaza - are examined, and to what extent redesigns of these areas have included urban design efforts to reduce criminological capacity. These case studies identify a far less rigorous implementation of defensible space than in countries such as the United Kingdom, with the absence of guidelines generally resulting in a less thorough and more flexible application of such efforts. When defensible space efforts are applied, they typically stem from architect-led efforts, or are a by-product of improved planning processes, such as creating permeability and mixed-use development. Through additional engagement with planners, this ultimately paints a picture of a country that has utilised social impacts, not defensible space, towards a reduction in anti-social behaviour, though still possesses the ability to integrate some defensible space elements to improve this system.Show less
The financial crisis of 2008 was an economic catastrophe that shook the housing market in the United States. Its devastating impact was marked by mass home foreclosures that spread across the...Show moreThe financial crisis of 2008 was an economic catastrophe that shook the housing market in the United States. Its devastating impact was marked by mass home foreclosures that spread across the country. Many homeowners defaulted on their mortgages and were evicted from their homes. For the neighborhoods that became vacant, it became more attractive for criminal activity. However, whether or not empty neighborhoods drew in more crime due to foreclosures remains understudied. This thesis, therefore, sought to advance the research by employing both quantitative and qualitative approaches by examining two neighborhoods in the city of Cleveland. The analysis controlled for demographic and economic factors that have potential influence over foreclosure and crime. Results from elasticity calculations indicated both a positive and negative inelastic response of crime with respect to foreclosures, suggesting mixed conclusions. The results of qualitative data collected from media reports, documentary videos, and photographs on the other hand indicated a more significant impact of crime on the neighborhood environment and its residents.Show less
Research master thesis | Psychology (research) (MSc)
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Research into Dutch substance-dependent youths who have committed crimes (age 16-22) is scarce, even though this population might benefit from more targeted treatment (e.g., addition of anger...Show moreResearch into Dutch substance-dependent youths who have committed crimes (age 16-22) is scarce, even though this population might benefit from more targeted treatment (e.g., addition of anger management to treatment for youths who have committed violent crimes) and is more likely to exhibit recidivism. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the relation between different types of drugs (alcohol, cannabis, and hard drugs) and different types of crime (violent, drug-related, and property). It was expected that (1) alcohol users were more likely to commit violent crimes than cannabis or hard drug users, (2) cannabis users were less likely to commit drug-related crimes than alcohol or hard drugs users, and (3) hard drug users were more likely to commit property crimes than alcohol or cannabis users. Gender, SES, education, polydrug use, and conduct disorder were also taken into account. All variables were assessed using a structured interview in a sample of 209 youths who came into treatment for SUD at different treatment centers across the Netherlands. The key finding of this study was that the majority of this sample had committed multiple types of crime and were using multiple types of drugs, which made confirmatory analyses impossible. Exploratory analyses indicated that cannabis users were more likely to commit drug-related crimes than non-cannabis users and that there was no specific type of drug that increased the likeliness that a youth would commit multiple crimes.Show less
This article examines how and to what extent different types of welfare regimes affect crime rates. The emergence of crime remains a subject demanding further research, especially with the...Show moreThis article examines how and to what extent different types of welfare regimes affect crime rates. The emergence of crime remains a subject demanding further research, especially with the disciplinary field ‘political economy’ as focal point. Three types of welfare regimes are investigated in this article, namely liberal, conservative and social democratic welfare regimes. This article has discovered several intriguing findings. First, statistical analysis has shown that social democratic welfare regimes suffer the least amount of crime in comparison to both liberal and constructive welfare regimes. Second, statistical analysis demonstrates that liberal welfare regimes experience the highest level of crime in comparison to social democratic and conservative welfare regimes. However, regarding the question ‘to what extent do welfare regimes affect crime rates’, evidence revealed that the impact of welfare state generosity is negligible. Finally, regarding the question ‘how do welfare regimes affect crime rates’, evidence shows that the way welfare regimes are constructed, rather than the amount of money spent, has a high possibility of affecting crime rates.Show less
Jongvolwassenen hebben weinig belangstelling voor berichtgeving vanuit lokale nieuwsplatformen in hun eigen directe omgeving. Dit heeft onder andere te maken met de globalisering van het nieuws en...Show moreJongvolwassenen hebben weinig belangstelling voor berichtgeving vanuit lokale nieuwsplatformen in hun eigen directe omgeving. Dit heeft onder andere te maken met de globalisering van het nieuws en de overvloed aan (online)mediakanalen die tegenwoordig beschikbaar zijn. Jongvolwassenen hebben een sterkere binding met de maatschappelijke ontwikkelingen die zich op nationaal en internationaal niveau afspelen. De doelstelling van dit onderzoek is om te ontdekken op wat voor manier jongvolwassen lezers meer geïnteresseerd kunnen raken in nieuws uit hun eigen omgeving. In dit onderzoek is daarvoor geïnventariseerd of lokale media mogelijk meer kunnen investeren in opsporingsberichtgeving, met als doel om lezers meer te verbinden met het nieuws in hun eigen omgeving. Deze scriptie geeft antwoord op de vraag wat lokale media kunnen leren van de werkwijze van het landelijke televisieprogramma Opsporing Verzocht met het oog op het versterken van de participatie in de nieuwsvoorziening van jongvolwassenen – in termen van kansen en bedreigingen. Er is in dit onderzoek aan de hand van een kwalitatieve inhoudsanalyse onderzocht welke (audio)visuele en inhoudelijke vormen er in het programma Opsporing Verzocht voorkomen. Er is vervolgens een vervolganalyse bij Leidsch Dagblad en De Scheveninger verricht of deze (audio)visuele en inhoudelijke vormen ook terugkomen in de misdaadverslaggeving van de nieuwsbladen. Er zijn daarnaast interviews met de betrokken partijen verricht. Het onderzoek heeft inzicht gegeven dat het programma Opsporing Verzocht hoofdvormen en ondersteunende vormen met storytelling elementen gebruikt, die een aanwinst kunnen zijn voor (lokale) nieuwsplatformen. Door misdaadverslaggeving online te plaatsen en te verspreiden op eigen social mediakanalen, kunnen lokale media met gebruik van storytelling elementen en een human-interest invalshoek een lezerspubliek van jongvolwassenen aanboren.Show less
There has been research on the phenomenon of ‘huachicol’, but it has not yet been analysed in direct relation with neoliberalism and the neoliberalization of Mexico. Assessing the crime and...Show moreThere has been research on the phenomenon of ‘huachicol’, but it has not yet been analysed in direct relation with neoliberalism and the neoliberalization of Mexico. Assessing the crime and violence in Mexico in relation to the theory of neoliberalism will add to the theoretical and societal knowledge on the socio-economic, political and security problems that such phenomena bring about. The guiding research question of this thesis is as follows: What does the case of Huachicoleros allow us to understand on the alleged connection between the violence and criminal activity in Mexico and its longstanding neoliberal economic policies (2000-2019)?Show less
Research on the “new” crime-terror nexus points out a recent trend of criminals turning to Islamist terrorism in Western Europe, assumes this is due to an overlap of criminal and terrorist milieus,...Show moreResearch on the “new” crime-terror nexus points out a recent trend of criminals turning to Islamist terrorism in Western Europe, assumes this is due to an overlap of criminal and terrorist milieus, and argues this is significant because former criminals make more effective terrorists (Basra, Neumann & Brunner 2016). Despite being left out of Basra, Neumann and Brunner’s study, Bosnia’s militant Islamists possess well-developed criminal capabilities. This research draws on the explanatory power of the concept of legitimacy to analyze the development of the Islamist movement in Bosnia and how it uses crime. Through contextualizing and synthesizing open-source information on five post-war terrorist attacks in Bosnia, I argue that the leaders of the Bosnian Islamist movement have since the Bosnian War effectively established and drawn on local and international networks to recruit for and fund terrorist activity, thus diminishing the significance attributed by Basra, Neumann and Brunner to the role former criminals play in financing the Islamist movement and carrying out terrorism. This research encourages a reassessment of some of the main assertions of the new crime-terror nexus and suggests a need for its further study in Bosnia, a country of particular significance to the global jihadist movement.Show less
