Environmental Design and Technological Innovation (Essay Sample)

USE OF ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATIONS TO PREVENT CRIME
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Introduction
In many places, crime has been linked to idle minds and the environmental setup. To a large extent environmental design and technological innovation are key players in the control and prevention of crime in society. This is because much crime is caused either because people have easy accesses to a crime or because they are confident they can get away without being noticed. With a proper and well managed technology, crime is to a large extent minimized in a community. On the other hand, proper environmental designs such as landscaping and proper housing order can also play a significant role in prevention of crime.
Many authors have viewed the use of environment to prevent crime in many ways, here buildings and properties are designed to prevent damage from the force of the elements and natural disasters; they should also be designed to prevent crime on the other hand technology innovations such as lighting up streets, enhanced security locks, use of security cameras are modern innovations in the technology to curb crime.
Louis xiv of France embarked on massive lighting on the streets to curb vandals who had destroyed the beautification he had made on the streets. However other research suggest that other than environment and technological innovations other measures such as arrest and detention of criminals, education and many others can be used to prevent crime in the community. In addition various soft technology invasions have been put in place to curb and trace offenders such as tools for monitoring at risk populations, sex offenders and mentally ill offenders has to a great extent helped so much to control crime.
Braga, Flynn, Kelling & Cole, 2011 suggested that one of the biggest achievements by technology in prevention of crime was the development of computer software that can monitor personal transaction, communication both on phone and website based communications. This new technology has changed the way police investigates and prevent crime in modern word. The use of improved technologies such as the use of face detection and fingerprint to track some ones criminal record has reduced and helped to prevent crime.
Crime in most cases is committed when Criminals feel that they are not recognized by other people. However, proper marking of buildings and properties and channelling different people into a defined area, for instance suspects being directed to specific places of the area. Various environmental designs have been put in place to prevent crime. For example criminals do not like well light areas so tend to avoid these areas so much, planners and environmental
Designers have made positioning of windows as many as possible to light up rooms which have prevented crime. This is because criminals fear light so they tend to avoid such areas In most buildings windows have been made wide with a reason of tapping maximum natural light and ability to see all movements both in and out. Here criminals are not confident with a feeling that they are easily seen preventing crime in such areas (Taylor, 1988).
Here are a few tips for creating natural access control:
Use of maze entrances in public lobbies: The goal is to cut off direct access to a potential target, such as a bank teller or cashier. Even tension barriers that have to be jumped or navigated around can discourage the bad guys, these barriers slow movement in and out making it hard for criminals to target these areas since the access is limited.
The use of barriers at entry points and exit points to reduce direct access by both vehicles and people footing reduces the speed of movement therefore imposing extra care when security checks are made hence reducing crime since criminals fear to take chances due to extra care and security checks at entry and exit points.
In some buildings, security personnel are positioned at higher elevated grounds so that they are able to monitor movements of people, this increases fear among the potential criminals since they feel they are seen reducing crime to minimal levels. Major crime preventions therefore are strongly boosted by environmental designs rather than other factors.
Low, thorny hedges work well around windows, because they don't obstruct the view in or out, and they don't provide a comfortable place to hide. They also make it hard for the potential criminals to target these are since the view is hidden and cannot access these areas clearly. Therefore, they help in the prevention of the criminal activities.
Use of Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) to view areas without natural sight lines: The use of CCTV cameras has been widely used to prevent crime Cameras are installed in places where normal sight is not possible. Through this offenders realize they are being watched so they stop doing whatever they would want to do reducing petty crimes to almost zero. Monitors in public areas so that visitors know they are being watched. The last thing a criminal wants to see when they enter a building is their own face on a security monitor. These are serious technological and environmental measures for crime prevention Various tools to control access to buildings such as the use of barbed wires thump print control doors to a big extent are used in the prevention of crime
De, P. E., Ponsaers et al (2011) suggested that technological innovations such as use of steering wheel lock , Electric fences, Alarms highly reduced crime.
In a place with electric fence with a faster response team, criminology is minimal.
Invasion of soft wares such can track criminals by their phones has done a great deal in crime prevention. This involves the use of satellite systems, mobile trackers to track individuals and also the transportation of valuables have helped prevent crime. Here ex-convicts and those on community service from prison are monitored and there records followed reducing chances of committing crime since this person is aware they are being monitored
The use of technology in crime prevention is important since it eliminates possible errors that may be made by personnel for example the use of CCTV cameras for high way patrolling and detecting red light offenders where the high way is monitored in a control office reducing issues of bribe therefore preventing crime even in the police force.
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Some scholars have advocated for use of environmental strategies such as the use of natural strategies to facilitate the attainment of human activity, profit and productivity. Human activity that attain their objective most always experience reduced exposure to crime this is because human resources are better managed which increases supervision and control leaving less opportunity for abnormal behaviour hence reducing crime. Space and design have an impact on crime. Criminals look for opportunities to do unwanted acts based on opportunity that is inherent in the way the space is designed.

The early civilization built zigzag walls around their habitats to discourage intruders, the walls required intruders to expose their backs to the opposite elevation from which they are attempting to climb. Byrne, (2009)
The use of environmental design to prevent crime was also evidenced in Napoleon III regime where build roads and buildings during times of financial crisis saying cities needed broad boulevards so that people could enjoy the environment and commune with nature, his underlying purpose was to keep people busy thinking that all was well because he had learned that small number of people could barricade a narrow road effectively neutralizing a large number of army, he controlled the public by implementing a plan of environmental design, he also sent his chief of police to demolish any building suspected to be hide out of criminals and drug barons.
Other studies have identified various measures of environmental design to be very significant in crime prevention, such measures include, lighting up suspicious areas, opening up blind spots, and placing legitimate businesses in areas formerly used for criminal approach. This gives offenders a small window of opportunity hence preventing crime (Taylor, 1988).
Today Environmental design greatly prevents crime. However the effectiveness of a designed environment depends largely on the architectural work by designers.

However much environmental design and technological innovations have helped to prevent crime, many crimes have been developed due high technology innovations and environmental design. Police have constantly encountered various problems and crime developed due to technology,
E-fraud many banks and individuals have experienced a lot of loses on line due to fraudsters; this has been so hard for police to curb and therefore increased crime, hackers have used the internet to commit crime in fund transfers, this has proved hard for police to handle are curb causing a threat to citizens
Internet offers new chances to commit crime (fraud) especially to young people who take ad...