Weeding Criminals or Planting Fear

Abstract

This study employed a quasi-experimental design to test the effect of a “Weed and Seed” program in a Santa Ana, California, neighborhood. The authors were specifically interested in learning how it affected the residents’attitudes about their neighborhood and their fear of crime. Interviews were conducted before and after a major “gang sweep” and Seeding in a targeted community. The results of the analyses failed to reveal any positive effects of the program on residents’ attitudes and may have had the unintended consequence of enhancing citizens’ fears of gang activity and crime.