WHAT WORKS: BLOCK WATCH MEETINGS OR CRIME PREVENTION SEMINARS?

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Abstract
Critical evaluations have found that crime prevention programs have no effect on the individual and community, or worse that they have negative effects. We argue that these findings are due to the unit of analysis used, the type of participation studied, and self-selection bias. This paper presents a study of individual-level participation in two types of crime prevention programs: block watch programs and crime prevention seminars and workshops. A correction is made for the self-selection bias inherent in such studies. The findings reveal that block watch participation has positive effects on the individual, whereas crime prevention seminar or workshop attendance does not.