A two-stage model of situational crime prevention

In a recent critique of situational crime prevention (Wortley, 1997) it was argued that there are two distinct kinds of situational forces acting on behavior -- those which are responsible for precipitating action and those which regulate behavior by the opportunities they present. The present paper proposes a two-stage prevention model for conceptualising precipitating and regulating situational forces. There are two major implications of the model. First, it is suggested that by intervening at the precipitation stage some criminal behaviour can be averted prior to the offender experiencing any inclination to offend. This has particular implications for explaining why crime displacement often does not occur. Second, the model proposes a ‘feed-back loop’ by which, in some circumstances, excessive constraint can transform into a situational precipitator. This aspect of the model can be used to help explain counterproductive effects of some opportunity-reduction strategies. In the light of the model, the issue of ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ situational crime prevention is discussed