Our first thought of public art might be a statute or a mural in our town center. It could be a strange looking sculpture that the high school art department placed in the neighborhood park. With no thought of placement, some town leaders may feel that just by supporting an art program they have reached out and satisfied a sector of our community that wants a program. As a Crime Prevention Specialist you must first understand what public art is and how you can use it as part of your crime prevention program.

By definition public art is “works of art in any media that have been planned and executed with the specific intention of being sited or staged in the physical public domain, usually outside and accessible to all.” Notice the specific intention of being placed in the physical domain or in public space. So, how can you use your public art program as deterrence to criminal activity? Here are a 

couple of strategies.

·    Public art should contribute to city life and people's use of public places. Public art is most effective when it is incorporated, as a design strategy, into the planning of public spaces from the outset and acts as a catalyst for generating activity. READ MORE