“Offensible Space” — Law and Order Obstruction through Environmental Design

Abstract

Defensible Space and Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) were the bright stars and catch phrases in the 1970's for crime prevention. Twenty one years latter, crime is increasing steadily. The law abiding community is being held captive to drug dealers, stressed out police, and over-extended budgets. Defensible Space strategies have not been integrated into the building community due to the lack of consensus, budget constraints, and the lack of power to implement improvements. One of the few successful applications of CPTED and Defensible Space principles have been well-to-do private sector housing, and criminal drug sites. This paper explores how the criminals have successfully applied Defensible Space principles to resist intrusion by outsiders and law enforcement creating “Offensible Space”. A study of 21 well known crime sites in South Florida was conducted. Environmental cues of surveillance, access control, and territoriality were observed and recorded. The findings reveal a remarkable adaptation on how it is that criminals are able to successfully implement Offensible Space concepts for illegal purposes.