Discourse on the Role of Community in Crime Prevention for Child Safety: Dilemma between Safety and Education

Abstract

This paper aims to examine why in practices and discourses on crime prevention for child safety, the significance and effectiveness of the community is emphasized. In this context, issues such as voluntary crime prevention activities and unity of local residents are highlighted.

An analysis of newspaper discourse, the Yomiuri and Asahi Shimbun from 1997 to 2021, revealed the following points: (1)Some discourses disagreed with the promotion of safety measures; overprotection was sometimes considered problematic from the perspective of child development. (2)These discourses considered community a desirable safety measure that would not have adverse effects on children. (3)The community was considered effective based on the logic that would nurture future leaders and would create a secure space for children.

Crime prevention for child safety entails the dilemma between safety and education. It has been suggested that community should be placed as the most effective measure because it may resolve the dilemma.