Reflections on applying behavioural insights to crime: a guide for behavioural scientists and criminologists in search of policy unicorns

Behavioural science has made significant contributions to public policy over the last decade from tax compliance to pensions and energy use. However, behavioural insights (BI) have not yet been able to claim significant policy shifts in the area of crime, despite increasing interest and experimentation. This paper offers a critical reflection on the state of BI and crime from the perspective of those who have been at the forefront of this work since the inception of the world's first behavioural science team in government. We outline how existing theories of crime have already laid foundations for the successful application of BI but identify opportunities to build on these with tools from behavioural science. We conclude by examining how continued cross-pollination of ideas between BI and disciplines such as applied criminology points to promising directions for future research.

在过去十年中，行为科学从税收合规到养老金以及能源使用等方面，对公共政策做出了重大贡献。然而，尽管人们的兴趣日益增加且进行了一些试验，但行为洞察力（BI）尚未能够在犯罪领域引发重大的政策转变。本文从世界上第一个政府行为科学团队成立以来一直处于这项工作前沿的人员的角度，对行为洞察力与犯罪的现状进行了批判性反思。我们概述了现有的犯罪理论如何已经为行为洞察力的成功应用奠定了基础，但也确定了利用行为科学工具在此基础上进一步发展的机会。最后，我们通过研究行为洞察力与应用犯罪学等学科之间持续的思想交流如何为未来研究指明有前景的方向来得出结论。