Social Impact
The demographic composition of the UK prison population does not reflect that of the wider community. Instead there is an over-representation of marginalised and minority groups such as those from black and minority ethnic communities, people who have been in care, people with low levels of literacy or numeracy, the homeless or unemployed and those with mental health problems (Bennett, 2008 and Social Exclusion Unit, 2002).
Similarly, people in the most economically deprived and socially marginalised communities are most likely to be victims of crime (Doriling, 2005). The social impact of the trauma of crime on victims and their friends and relatives, as well as the personal experience of crime and news stories that raise the fear of crime, should not be underestimated.
As a consequence, crime serves to promote social inequality and social exclusion for the victims and perpetrators of crime and negatively impacts on trust and community cohesion. There is a negative social impact of poor design, linked to the well-being of those who have to live with badly thought through responses to crime. These include inappropriate or badly designed security features.
The account of the built environment on emotional wellbeing has been raised not just by criminology but also by other evidence-based research disciplines. Roger Ulrich, currently Professor of Architecture at Texas A&M University, has delivered research that demonstrates that hospital patients recover faster and their medication demands are lower when the hospital environment affords views of the natural world outside (Ulrich and Simons, 1986). Richard Layard, Professor of Economics at the London School of Economics, suggests that despite increased prosperity and better material conditions for the majority of the population, British people are no happier than they were 50 years ago. He suggests that negative perceptions of community safety contribute to the phenomena (Layard, 2005)
Sources:
Bennett, J. (2008).The Social Cost of Dangerousness: Prison and the dangerous classes, Centre For Crime and Justice Studies, Kings College London
Dorling, D. (2005). The Human Geography of the UK. London: SAGE
Layard, R. (2005). Happiness: Lessons From New Science. London: Penguin
Ulrich, R. S., Simons, R. F. (1986). Effects of Experiences with Environments On Stress Recovery. Paper presented at Association of American Geographers meeting