46 ARTICLE DEVELOPMENTS OF SOCIAL (CRIME) PREVENTION IN EUROPE – A BRIEF OVERVIEW Gorazd Meško, Benjamin Flander (Slovenia) Authors Gorazd Meško – PhD, Professor of Criminology, Faculty of Criminal Justice and Security, University of Maribor Email: gorazd.mesko@fvv.uni-mb.si Benjamin Flander – LLD, Assistant Professor of Law, Faculty of Criminal Justice and Security, University of Maribor Email: benjamin.flander@fvv.uni-mb.si Abstract It is widely acknowledged that the last four decades have seen an expansion in crime reduction initiatives focused upon prevention rather than the traditional means of prosecution, punishment and repression. <...> This shift to a preventive mentality took place in most western countries as well as in the post-communist European countries. <...> Among different approaches to crime prevention, social crime prevention gained a lot of attention in western and particularly European countries until the end of the 1970s and even at the beginning of the 1980s. <...> Afterwards, in academic debate as well as in crime and social policies, the concept of social crime prevention has taken a less important role, as – with the processes of globalisation, individualisation and neo-liberalism – actively promoting welfare (state) for all has ceased to be a central ambition of rulers and policy makers. <...> With the rapid economic, political, social and cultural changes that have taken place during the last decade, and supported mainly situational crime prevention it is difficult to make a prognosis about the future development of social crime prevention in neoliberal western societies. www.kulawr.ru Volume 1 April 2016 Issue 1(5) KUTAFIN UNIVERSITY LAW REVIEW Gorazd Meško, Benjamin Flander Developments of Social (Crime) Prevention in Europe – A Brief Overview Keywords Crime prevention, social crime prevention, criminology, social security, crime prevention strategies, welfare state DOI: 10.17803/2313-5395.2016.1.5.046-053 TABLE OF CONTENTS I. On social crime prevention .47 II. <...> Conclusion .52 Bibliography .53 I. ON SOCIAL CRIME PREVENTION Social crime prevention focuses on the “root causes” of crime, especially the factors that contribute to delinquency, drug abuse, and adolescent problems. <...> Based on the premise that crime is caused by the social illnesses of society, the social crime prevention model focuses on developing <...>