Drug-Free School Locality through Crime Prevention Strategies – The Case of Kerala

In a quest to understand crime hotspots, particularly those entangled with drug use, this study shifts its focus towards the locations themselves rather than the criminals, as recent criminology research reveals that crime incidents tend to cluster together in certain areas. Notably, drug-related crimes fall into this pattern, necessitating a robust approach to address these issues effectively. Kerala, witnessing a surge in drug-related instances involving youngsters near schools, becomes the canvas for this study. Seeking answers to the location of drug-related problems in Thiruvananthapuram's urban center, it delves into the environmental factors that amplify drug use. Spatial aspects of school localities that trigger such activities come under scrutiny, employing theories, literature studies, and case analyses to forge strategies that can transform spaces and minimize contact between peddlers and children. The Central Government School, East Fort, Kerala, and its immediate 500m vicinity emerge as the focal area for in-depth analysis.

I. Drug and School Locality 1.1. Safe School Creating a secure atmosphere for children from their homes to their schools and back is what is meant by "school safety." (NCPCR, 2020) School safety involves the absence of violence, bullying, harassment, and the negative effects of substance use in schools and activities related to education. (Safer School, n.d.) Schools are crucial infrastructure tasked with producing tomorrow's citizens. Effective teaching and learning require a safe and secure atmosphere.
For architects, engineers, policymakers, administrators, and emergency response planners, creating safe schools should be a top priority. Schools are public venues where children are most at risk. Numerous schools are located in crowded urban areas and are subject to various dangers. School safety includes both structural and non-structural measures, such as raising awareness, ensuring communication, developing preparedness plans for the school, enhancing student and teacher capacity, conducting drills, and other activities.

Relationship Between Drug Use and Crime
Drug use affects crime rates in a variety of ways, but the character and social changes that an individual goes through have the biggest impact (Kalvaradolaw, 2021

Why School Surroundings
Students make up the majority of the targets for perpetrators. They are one of the most vulnerable groups in society, susceptible to crime, easily influenced by peer pressure, and targeted due to their psychology and age (Dale Willits, 2013).
Teenagers are present in schools, and young adults and older children are more likely to commit offenses than people in other age groups. Criminals are drawn to these groups for both committing crimes and experiencing victimization within their age groups (Dale Willits, 2013).

Aim
To identify spatial planning parameters/indicators for a drug-free school locality

Objectives
To identify theories and principles related to drug-related crime.
To identify and map concerned localities.
To explore factors that enhance a drug-free school locality.

Scope
Predict future hotspots where crime can occur.
Reduce crime through spatial planning around schools.
Help in getting an idea of crime scenarios and, in turn, help in taking initiatives and raising awareness among citizens about crime-prone areas.

Limitations
This study is limited to the urban context of Kerala.
Only reported cases are considered.
II. Theories

Social Disorganization Theory
This theory was quoted by McKay in 1942. The hypothesis of social disorganization is frequently used to investigate various connections between geography, concentrated deprivation, and criminal behavior (Muggah, 2016).
Low education level.

Concept of SCP
Situational Crime Prevention (SCP) is a method of preventing crimes by managing, arranging, and otherwise influencing the environment to make it more challenging for offenders and less likely for them to be rewarded for committing the crime (Patel, 2013).
Significance of SCP: 1. Lessens the likelihood that offenders will commit crimes.
2. Modifies criminals' perceptions of whether they can get away with a specific crime.
Qeios, CC-BY 4.0 · Article, August 2, 2023 Qeios ID: 36FVFQ · https://doi.org/10.32388/36FVFQ 6/18 The crime triangle has been improvised by certain handlers to reduce crime. We have, for offenders, a handler to handle them; for a target, a guardian to protect them; and lastly, for the place, we have the manager or place manager who is responsible for handling the crime at that place (Eck, 2014).
The place management hypothesis, a subset of routine activity theory, explains why there is little or no crime in most areas but a lot of it in a small number of places. The method by which managers do their four main duties provides the explanation:  (Eck, 2014).

Organization of physical space
Place management affects more than just high-crime areas. Crime hot spots can be created in a region when crime hot spots are connected. A neighborhood's crime rate may increase due to the concentration of high-crime areas (Eck, 2014).
This theory was explained by Eck in his study, where he plotted the different facilities and the crime related to these areas or facilities, forming a J-curve indicating certain areas have more crime than others, mainly due to the management of the place. In other words, "a small minority of facilities contribute the majority of offenses at all risky facilities," which is also termed as the "iron law of troublesome space" (Eck, 2014).

Crime Pattern Theory
Quoted by Paul and Patricia Brantingham in 1980, also known as the Theory of Geometry of Crime, in which the nodes are areas such as home/work space/entertainment zone, and the connections between nodes are pathways. Together, they form an Activity space, i.e., nodes + connected pathways. These areas are visited by the target/offender, and there will be certain areas in between the nodes that are suitable for a crime from the offender's point of view. This area fitting the crime template gives the opportunity for the offender to commit a crime. The entire circle is well known to the offender as they usually travel through these areas. The more the number of targets cross the path that intersects with the area fitting the crime template, the more opportunities for crime. 1.14.

CPTED -Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design
A purposeful design of buildings, landscaping, access routes, and other exterior/interior security measures are all part of this crime prevention approach, which aims to lessen and/or completely eradicate crime and disorder (Council, 2003).
The main five types of factors under the theory include: The design and arrangement of objects and people to enable observations and increase visibility is known as natural surveillance (NS).
Access Management (AM) is the practice of orienting and guiding people and vehicles along acceptable channels and limiting unauthorized access through the use of actual or perceived obstacles and other characteristics.
Territoriality (T) is the use of physical characteristics to define a region and to convey a sense of pride and ownership.
Physical Maintenance (PM) is the care of a structure or area, including replacement, repair, and general upkeep., and general upkeep.
The goal of order maintenance (OM) is to identify small incorrect behaviors and take action to stop them (Council, 2003).

CRIME PREVENTION THROUGH ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN FOR A SCHOOL Effective planning and management
of the physical environment at and around the school site have the ability to lessen real and perceived crime problems.
The term "crime prevention through environmental design" refers to this kind of manipulation (CPTED) (Group, 2014).

Site Selection
The site selected is the Trivandrum corporation boundary since it's the urban area of our state and comes in the fifth most position of most cases found in the state of Kerala. The area is selected because of its importance being the capital city with its character of urban quality.