Skip to main content
Disciplines
Automotive Business IT + Informatics Construction + Real Estate Electrical Engineering + Electronics Energy + Sustainability Insurance + Risk Finance + Banking Management + Leadership Marketing + Sales Mechanical Engineering + Materials
Events
DE
EN
Books
Journals
Topic Page
Marketing
Start single access now
Access for companies
EXTENDED SEARCH
Log in
Top

2019 | Book

Setting the Scene Read chapter Read first chapter

Cybercrime Prevention

Theory and Applications

Authors: Dr. Russell Brewer, Melissa de Vel-Palumbo, Dr. Alice Hutchings, Prof. Thomas Holt, Prof. Andrew Goldsmith, Assoc. Prof. David Maimon

Publisher: Springer International Publishing

Book Series : Crime Prevention and Security Management

Part of: Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik" , Springer Professional "Technik" , Springer Professional "Wirtschaft"

Login to get access
insite
SEARCH

About this book

This book articulates how crime prevention research and practice can be reimagined for an increasingly digital world. This ground-breaking work explores how criminology can apply longstanding, traditional crime prevention techniques to the digital realm. It provides an overview of the key principles, concepts and research literature associated with crime prevention, and discusses the interventions most commonly applied to crime problems. The authors review the theoretical underpinnings of these and analyses evidence for their efficacy. Cybercrime Prevention is split into three sections which examine primary prevention, secondary prevention and tertiary prevention. It provides a thorough discussion of what works and what does not, and offers a formulaic account of how traditional crime prevention interventions can be reimagined to apply to the digital realm.

Table of Contents

Frontmatter
Chapter 1. Setting the Scene
Abstract
The book begins with an introductory chapter that sets the scene: providing an overview of the core principles associated with crime prevention targeting that will be drawn upon throughout. It chronicles the unique aspects of offending within digital contexts, and in particular, explicates offending lifecycles, and flags significant points of divergence from what is broadly accepted for offline forms of offending. Next, it provides a methodological account of the approach taken in researching this book, before concluding with an overview of chapters to come.
Russell Brewer, Melissa de Vel-Palumbo, Alice Hutchings, Thomas Holt, Andrew Goldsmith, David Maimon

Primary Forms of Prevention

Frontmatter
Chapter 2. Situational Crime Prevention
Abstract
This chapter examines a broad range of techniques known as situational crime prevention (SCP). This form of intervention takes cues from a host of theoretical perspectives and involves the design and manipulation of the environment to make offenders’ decisions to become involved in crime less attractive. The use of SCP is widespread in traditional contexts and is by far the most commonly deployed form of intervention in the prevention of cybercrime. Though extensive criminological research has found that SCP techniques can be successfully applied in traditional settings, it is still unclear whether SCP interventions can effectively prevent cybercrime. This chapter scrutinises available empirical evidence regarding the potential effect of SCP approaches (e.g. target hardening, surveillance, posting instructions) in deterring offenders from engaging in and escalating cybercrimes. It concludes by revealing the limitations of SCP in preventing cybercrime, as well as by elucidating the most promising configurations of SCP interventions in digital contexts moving forward.
Russell Brewer, Melissa de Vel-Palumbo, Alice Hutchings, Thomas Holt, Andrew Goldsmith, David Maimon
Chapter 3. Universal Communication Strategies
Abstract
This chapter explores universal communication strategies: mass media messages that aim to deter people from committing crimes. These interventions are underpinned by rational choice theories of crime, and typically attempt to alter individuals’ perceptions of the risks and rewards of offending. Mass media communications target a wide audience and have been traditionally applied to common crimes such as drink-driving. We consider the evidence, finding that overall there is very limited support for the effectiveness of communications at reducing offline forms of crime. Though universal communications have been applied to some extent in the digital realm, no evaluations have been conducted to assess their effectiveness. We describe the limitations of such strategies in digital contexts and provide a set of guidelines for design of communication strategies in this realm.
Russell Brewer, Melissa de Vel-Palumbo, Alice Hutchings, Thomas Holt, Andrew Goldsmith, David Maimon

Secondary Forms of Prevention

Frontmatter
Chapter 4. Educational Workshops
Abstract
This chapter investigates the use of educational workshops in preventing crime. This type of intervention brings together groups of individuals deemed at risk of offending to educate them about the consequences of crime, or to promote positive behaviours and skills that reduce the likelihood of committing crime. Though educational workshops vary widely in terms of theory and content, most commonly they rely on social-cognitive theories of learning. School-based workshops have been applied extensively to combat illicit drug use, gang involvement, and general delinquency with varying success—some with positive effects, and some with negative effects. We conclude that workshops can be an effective way to reduce crime, but this depends greatly on the content and style of workshop deployed. However, to date, this strategy has not been widely utilised to deal with cybercrime; consequently, there is virtually no research on the success (or otherwise) of this strategy. We discuss the applicability of workshops in this space, explicating the features that would likely increase the success of this intervention in reducing cybercrime.
Russell Brewer, Melissa de Vel-Palumbo, Alice Hutchings, Thomas Holt, Andrew Goldsmith, David Maimon
Chapter 5. Mentoring Programs
Abstract
This chapter examines interventions that can be broadly categorised as mentoring. Mentoring is underpinned by a philosophy that promotes supportive interpersonal relationships that offer guidance to young people throughout their social-emotional, cognitive, and identity development. This chapter chronicles the popularity of mentoring as being one of the most commonly deployed interventions to prevent youth delinquency across traditional contexts, while at the same time drawing together a robust evaluation research literature that reveals only a modest-moderate effect associated with the intervention for those at risk of, or already engaged in, delinquency. Although to date, no research has examined either the utility or efficacy of mentoring as an intervention to target young people involved in cybercrime, we nevertheless argue that key lessons can be drawn from the extant offline crime prevention literature about future prospects in digital contexts. In making these arguments, we tease out the various factors associated with successful mentoring interventions and create a blueprint for the future design and deployment of such interventions.
Russell Brewer, Melissa de Vel-Palumbo, Alice Hutchings, Thomas Holt, Andrew Goldsmith, David Maimon
Chapter 6. Targeted Warnings and Police Cautions
Abstract
This chapter examines the use of targeted warnings and cautions by police (i.e. cease-and-desist messaging) that aim to deter potential offenders from future offending. These interventions rely on rational choice and labelling theories of crime. This chapter examines the results of studies that evaluate such interventions for offline crimes. Overall, we find that most of the evidence indicates qualified support for these interventions. Although cease-and-desist visits and targeted prevention messaging have been used in the context of cybercrime, there is little known about how effective they are. In exploring the applicability of these interventions to cybercrime, we highlight their limitations within digital contexts and provide recommendations for optimal design of this strategy for preventing cybercrime.
Russell Brewer, Melissa de Vel-Palumbo, Alice Hutchings, Thomas Holt, Andrew Goldsmith, David Maimon

Tertiary Forms of Prevention

Frontmatter
Chapter 7. Positive Diversions
Abstract
This chapter examines the programs and strategies associated with positive diversions. Positive diversions redirect individuals towards prosocial behaviours and peer influences and focus on rehabilitation rather than punitive actions. This chapter reviews the evidence for such interventions in reducing offline crime, concluding that the findings are mixed, with some diversions showing positive effects and others showing negative effects. We then explore the applicability of diversions to cybercrime prevention, finding that though there is no research evidence for the effectiveness of such, there is some anecdotal evidence that redirecting cybercriminals into cybersecurity programs or training could be beneficial. We conclude by delineating what an ideal diversion program could look like for cybercriminals, drawing out the factors that would likely lead to its success in the digital realm.
Russell Brewer, Melissa de Vel-Palumbo, Alice Hutchings, Thomas Holt, Andrew Goldsmith, David Maimon
Chapter 8. Restorative Justice
Abstract
This chapter investigates a series of interventions that fall under the banner of restorative justice procedures. These procedures offer an informal alternative to formal court processes and typically involve bringing the offender and the victim together to discuss the harm caused, as well as measures to remediate the harm and assist the offender to avoid future offending. Restorative justice is influenced by re-integrative shaming theory, which argues that holding offenders accountable for their crimes in a socially re-integrative way can facilitate reconciliation and healing. We review the research literature, finding that the evidence for restorative justice interventions in reducing recidivism for traditional crimes is mixed and, overall, weak. To date, there are no studies that have empirically assessed the use of restorative justice practices in relation to cybercrimes of any kind, though some scholars have speculated as to their potential applicability. We outline the difficulties of applying restorative justice interventions to the online context and formulate a proposal for best-practice restorative justice procedures for cybercrime.
Russell Brewer, Melissa de Vel-Palumbo, Alice Hutchings, Thomas Holt, Andrew Goldsmith, David Maimon

New Directions

Frontmatter
Chapter 9. Designing and Evaluating Crime Prevention Solutions for the Digital Age
Abstract
This chapter draws together the key empirical strands that have emerged throughout the preceding chapters and explicates the practical dimensions of this work. It acknowledges first that there has been very little research evaluating the effects of crime prevention initiatives on cybercrime. It then outlines ways in which this gap can be addressed in the future, and some of the issues that both researchers and practitioners will need to be aware of when it comes to implementing and evaluating cybercrime interventions. This chapter concludes by offering a number of recommendations for practitioners and researchers seeking to evaluate cybercrime interventions in the future.
Russell Brewer, Melissa de Vel-Palumbo, Alice Hutchings, Thomas Holt, Andrew Goldsmith, David Maimon
Backmatter
Metadata
Title
Cybercrime Prevention
Authors
Dr. Russell Brewer
Melissa de Vel-Palumbo
Dr. Alice Hutchings
Prof. Thomas Holt
Prof. Andrew Goldsmith
Assoc. Prof. David Maimon
Copyright Year
2019
Electronic ISBN
978-3-030-31069-1
Print ISBN
978-3-030-31068-4
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-31069-1

Premium Partner

    Image Credits