Introduction
Structure of this report
As the costs of crime have risen for individuals and the community, crime prevention has become a major priority within Australian society. This has led to substantial resources being spent on measures to apprehend and punish offenders and to reduce the likelihood that offences will be committed in the future. Despite these efforts, crime prevention continues to pose a formidable challenge for the community, in part because of the range and complexity of the reasons for offending, the isolated nature of many types of crime and the involvement in illegal activities of a substantial proportion of particular groups.
Community crime prevention programmes provide a potentially effective means of reducing the incidence of crime, partly through encouraging community participation in crime prevention. Presently there is a wide variety of programmes operating throughout Australia, supported by Commonwealth, State, Territory and local governments, and the private sector.
While there are many community crime prevention programmes being implemented, it appears that few are ever fully evaluated. A national compendium on crime prevention programmes (National Anti-Crime Strategy, 1995) indicated that no more than 10 per cent of 170 State and Territory crime prevention programmes and projects had been the focus of a systematic evaluation study. Yet, an evaluation of a community crime prevention programme can provide valuable information about the way it was conducted, and its context, outcomes and efficiency; assisting managers, programme staff and others to make programme decisions and plan changes.
This report is one product of the Evaluation Models for Community Crime Prevention Project. The main objective of this report is to develop an awareness of the models of evaluation which can be used to provide information to guide the practice and strategic direction of crime prevention.
The project
The Evaluation Models for Community Crime Prevention Project was initiated by the Commonwealth Attorney-General's Department through its National Crime Prevention Programmes and the Australian and New Zealand Crime Prevention Ministerial Forum. It was carried out in partnership with Commonwealth, State, Territory and local governments.
The overall aim of the project was to identify a range of models suitable for evaluating community crime prevention projects and to provide guidance on the selection and use of evaluation models to those commissioning or conducting locally based evaluation studies. There were four specific objectives. They were to:
identify, review and develop alternative models for the evaluation of community crime prevention projects
undertake case studies of evaluations of crime prevention programmes in typical community settings to assist appraisal of the various evaluation models
describe the major considerations in choosing a model for a particular evaluation study and develop procedures for doing so;
to prepare an Evaluation Planning Kit to guide community crime prevention project personnel and evaluation consultants in undertaking evaluation studies.
It was of particular concern to provide information and support to people commissioning or conducting evaluation studies of community crime prevention projects, especially people in various localities who had limited training or experience in evaluation.
The project was conducted in three main phases focusing on a review of previous work in the area, the monitoring of current evaluation studies of community crime prevention programmes and the preparation of guidelines for planning evaluation studies.
Phase 1 comprised a review of current theory, advice and practice in community crime prevention. It involved a comprehensive review of relevant literature from 1985, including unpublished material, and consultations with experts in crime prevention and evaluation in Australia and the US. (Details of the search procedures and the people consulted are given in Appendix 1.)
Phase 2 examined practical issues in the evaluation of community crime prevention programmes through monitoring evaluation studies being conducted in the Australian Capital Territory, Victoria and Western Australia.
Phase 3 involved the development of a new and unique resource guide, Guidelines for Evaluating Community Crime Prevention Projects, based on the information and insights gained from the previous two phases. The Guidelines are published separately.
Structure of this report
This report describes the conceptual foundations and key dimensions of evaluation models which provide the basis for planning and conducting evaluation studies, including selecting practical and effective evaluation methods and tools.
Section 1: Conceptual foundations of evaluation models
Section 1 introduces the concept of evaluation and outlines the basic components of an evaluation model and considerations in choosing a model for an evaluation study.
Section 2: Approaches to community crime prevention
In Section 2 the range and type of community crime prevention programmes is considered and a classification scheme is outlined for characterising programmes to aid in selecting an appropriate evaluation model.
Section 3: The nature of programme evaluation
Section 3 examines the nature of programme evaluation and provides an overview of various evaluation purposes, as represented in Owen's (1993; Owen and Rogers, 1999) five distinct forms of evaluation. It also provides an overview of the major evaluation frameworks or approaches and various evaluation methods that may be used in an evaluation study.
Section 4: Selected evaluation studies
In Section 4 selected Australian and overseas examples of evaluation studies of community crime prevention programmes are reviewed to illustrate the various combinations of evaluation form, approach and methods which represent the particular evaluation model used.
Section 5: Summary and conclusions
Section 5 provides a summary of the report and draws conclusions about enhancing the quality and usefulness of evaluation studies of community crime prevention programmes.