What Do Offenders Think About CCTV?

Abstract

If CCTV has a role to play in crime prevention and detection then there is much to be gained from ascertaining the views of the very people it is targeted at. This paper reports on research findings from face-to-face interviews with offenders in prison, specifically focusing on their opinions of CCTV. Some of the issues addressed include whether CCTV causes them to alter the ways in which they offend; the extent to which they view it as a deterrent; and their views on the types of circumstances and environments in which they perceive CCTV to be a threat. While generally the interviewees did not worry unduly about CCTV in planning their offences, those who had previously been captured by CCTV were more likely to perceive it as a threat than those who had not.