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When scripts and guardianship unite: A script model to facilitate intervention of capable guardians in public settings

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Abstract

A number of empirical studies in criminology have been conducted to highlight the benefits of offender scripting for situational prevention purposes. However, surprisingly, scripts have never been adopted to examine the decision making and behavioral processes of agents directly involved in crime control and crime prevention. In this article, we complete a theoretical exercise. Rather than using scripts to analyze crime events from the perspective of offenders, we use scripts to examine crime events from the perspective of guardians against crime. Specifically, this article introduces script analysis as an approach to design a model which has the potential to facilitate intervention of guardians against crime in public settings. An intervention script consisting of 12 stages is identified. We then show the promising utility of this script as a framework to generate potential situational prevention measures.

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Notes

  1. In the case of CCTV, the guardian is not a person but an object designed to replace the human guardian in providing surveillance.

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Acknowledgements

This article was supported by a grant from Griffith University. We are grateful for the comments provided by Marcus Felson and Ron Clarke on an earlier version of this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Mount Gravatt Campus, Griffith University, Queensland, 4111, Australia

    Benoit Leclerc & Danielle Reynald

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  1. Benoit Leclerc
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  2. Danielle Reynald
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Correspondence to Benoit Leclerc.

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Leclerc, B., Reynald, D. When scripts and guardianship unite: A script model to facilitate intervention of capable guardians in public settings. Secur J 30, 793–806 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1057/sj.2015.8

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