Chapter 5: Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design

• Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED):
• Is a discipline that outlines how the proper design of a physical environment can reduce crime by directly affecting human behavior (Harris, 435).
• Concept developed in 1960s.
• The concept of CPTED is that our physical environment can be manipulated to create a behavioral effects that can reduce crime and fear of crime for individuals. 
• Examples:
• Hedges and planters around a facility should not be taller than 2.5 feet, this is prevent anyone from using them to gain access to windows.
• A data center should be located at the center of a facility in case any external forces cause damage to the facility, the facility's walls will absorb the damage instead of the data center. 
• Street furnishing, such as benches and tables, can encourage people to sit and watch what is going on around them and discourage criminal activity. 
• A corporation's landscape should not include wooded areas or other places where intruders can hide. 
• CPTED vs. Target Hardening:
• What is target hardening?
• Target hardening focuses on denying access through physical and artificial barriers such as alarms, locks, fences etc. 
• Negative aspect of target hardening:
• Traditional target hardening can lead to restriction on use, enjoyment, and aesthetics of an environment. 
• Example:
• A company wants to protect a side door. If they are using the traditional target hardening approach they would put locks, alarms, and cameras on the door or even hire a security guard to watch the door. But, if the company goes with the more subtle approach of CPTED they would ensure there is no sidewalk leading to the door from the front of the building. They would also ensure no tall trees or bushes are blocking the ability to view someone using the door. 
• The best approach is to build an environment from a CPTED approach and also apply target-hardening components on top of the design where needed. 
• The CPTED provides three main strategies to bring together the physical environment and social behavior to increase overall protection: natural access control, natural surveillance, and natural territorial reinforcement.