Children and the future of CPTED

Children have a role to play in their own future

by Larry Leach 

“We’re Not Raising Children… We are Raising Adults” was advice I once received as a young parent. In essence, if your children act in ways you wouldn’t accept from an adult, then you need to help correct that behavior.

Whitney Houston captured this beautifully in The Greatest Love of All: “I believe that children are our future, teach them well and let them lead the way.”

After reading recent blogs by Greg and Mateja speaking about children and the roots of crime, I wanted to dig a bit deeper into the role of learned behavior and the power of youth to guide us toward safer, healthier communities in both physical and behavioral terms.

Greg’s blog outlined an entire line of crime and learning research in social control theory and blocked opportunity theory. Mateja described how children serve as a catalyst for neighbourhood connections. 

Since 2010, we have featured blogs on youth violence prevention, such as the work of 2nd Gen CPTED co-creator Gerry Cleveland.

THERE IS SOMETHING TO THIS 

When we hear from reformed offenders, their stories often trace back to childhood trauma. Unresolved pain led to alcohol or drug use later in life, used as a mask. Therefore, if many pathways to crime begin in youth, and children lack the tools to process trauma alone, prevention must start there.

School learning at all levels is important for preventing crime - photo woodleywonderworks,
CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

My experience in school politics showed me first hand how the system tends to measure success. We hear plenty about graduation rates and year-to-year statistics, but not a lot about how the school affects those rates? Were outcomes positive or negative? And what about mental health—rarely measured, though it profoundly shapes students’ lives?

It’s hard to put into numbers the value of mentorship, of a caring adult relationship, or of a community that steps in to support young people. Yet these are the very things that can make a struggling student feel seen and guided.

Research underscores the point. In a paper titled The Impact of Education on Crime: International Evidence, the authors note:

Reductions in crimes leading to an arrest realized from offering better school options to high-risk youth would conservatively produce USD $16,000 in social savings to victims over the next seven years. Because better schools also likely reduce crimes that never lead to an arrest, savings are likely to be substantially higher—especially when factoring in reduced prison and prevention costs.

YOUTH CENTRES AND OUTSIDE ACTIVITIES

Add to all of this, the lack of focus on the "whole child" in modern school systems, and we now need outside activities like Youth Centres and sport organizations to help develop a healthy mentality as they move towards adulthood. 

Children from youth centre  

Filling youth tool belts with the necessary life tools - when some families are dealing with their own personal trauma - is another key to prevention that many  municipalities are missing. This isn’t a statistic for policymakers, but a hands-on community intervention that’s harder to secure buy-in for.

Graduation rates, while important, don’t tell the whole story. A diploma does not guarantee that a young person has the tools to thrive as an adult. Communities need to fill those gaps intentionally, with adults willing to step in as mentors and guides. This takes effort and buy-in, but it can transform lives.

When we consider Third Generation CPTED and building a healthy community, youth should be at the forefront on building plans to prevent crime. Building healthy, connected communities means placing young people at the center of prevention. 

Teach them well. And then, let them lead the way.