CCTV and Campus Crime: Challenging a Technological “Fix”

Universities using closed circuit television (CCTV) systems often tout its deterrent role when justifying the use of this technology. Using a sample of 336 U.S. universities, we examine the relationship between CCTV and reported crime rates using Clery Act crime data to discern whether CCTV has a deterrent impact on campus crime, controlling for other variables. We find that CCTV appears to have little to no impact. Rather, crime rates are associated with location (suburban, urban, rural), institutional control (public, private), student population density, level of tuition and fees, student-body demographics (e.g., gender, race), and crime control practices other than CCTV (e.g., scheduled security patrols, student transportation/escort services). These relationships differ by type of crime (e.g., property vs. violent). Implications for policy and future research are discussed.

[1]  D. Farrington,et al.  The effects of closed-circuit television on crime: meta-analysis of an English national quasi-experimental multi-site evaluation , 2007 .

[2]  D. Osgood.  Poisson-Based Regression Analysis of Aggregate Crime Rates , 2000 .

[3]  Michael S. Barton,et al.  Social disorganization theory and the college campus , 2010 .

[4]  T. Monahan,et al.  Schools Under Surveillance: Cultures of Control in Public Education , 2010 .

[5]  Don Hummer.  Serious Criminality at U.S. Colleges and Universities: An Application of the Situational Perspective , 2004 .

[6]  Kevin D. Haggerty.  Methodology as a Knife Fight: The Process, Politics and Paradox of Evaluating Surveillance , 2009 .

[7]  Joel M. Caplan,et al.  Police-monitored CCTV cameras in Newark, NJ: A quasi-experimental test of crime deterrence , 2011 .

[8]  David P. Farrington,et al.  Effects of Closed-Circuit Television on Crime , 2003 .

[9]  Jerry H. Ratcliffe,et al.  The Crime Reduction Effects of Public CCTV Cameras: A Multi‐Method Spatial Approach , 2009 .

[10]  Max L. Bromely.  Comparing campus and city crime rates: a descriptive study , 1995 .

[11]  B. Muthén,et al.  Alcohol-related aggression and drinking at off-campus parties and bars: a national study of current drinkers in college. , 2003, Journal of studies on alcohol.

[12]  Andrew Hope,et al.  CCTV, school surveillance and social control , 2009 .

[13]  Brandon C. Welsh,et al.  Public Area CCTV and Crime Prevention: An Updated Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis , 2009 .

[14]  Robert J. Kaminski,et al.  The impacts of the Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois University shootings on fear of crime on campus , 2010 .

[15]  E. Zannes,et al.  Campus security technology and university crime: a comparative investigation and analysis , 1999, Proceedings IEEE 33rd Annual 1999 International Carnahan Conference on Security Technology (Cat. No.99CH36303).

[16]  W. DeJong,et al.  An ecological analysis of alcohol-outlet density and campus-reported violence at 32 U.S. colleges. , 2010, Journal of studies on alcohol and drugs.

[17]  Eric L. Piza,et al.  Analyzing the Influence of Micro-Level Factors on CCTV Camera Effect , 2014 .

[18]  Rachel L. Finn,et al.  The Social impact of Surveillance in Three UK Schools: Angels, Devils and Teen Mums , 2010 .

[19]  M. Felson,et al.  Crime and Everyday Life , 1998 .

[20]  Emmeline Taylor,et al.  I Spy with My Little Eye: The Use of CCTV in Schools and the Impact on Privacy , 2010 .