Super Controllers: Taking Stock of the Literature, 2010-2025

• In Event: Communities and Place: Super Controllers, Risk Terrain Models, and Crime

Abstract

Fifteen years ago, Sampson et al. (2010) introduced the concept of super controllers to the crime prevention literature. Super controllers are people or organizations who can put pressure on place managers, guardians, or handlers (i.e., crime controllers) to suppress crime opportunities. This concept has provided a valuable framework for understanding how higher-order entities influence crime controllers. There has been little systematic inquiry into how researchers and practitioners have since used the concept. This paper takes stock of the studies published in the last 15 years that have applied the concept. More specifically, the paper reviews the quality of the literature by identifying (1) the prevalence of each type of super controller, (2) which controllers are more likely to be influenced by super controllers, and (3) the mechanisms super controllers use to persuade controllers to act. Additionally, we discuss the varied domains in which the super controller framework has been applied, whether it be in cybercrime, property crime, or violent crime. Insights into the empirical utility of the concept, gaps in the literature, and directions for future research are discussed.

Authors

• Natalie Beck, Simon Fraser University

• Shannon J. Linning, Simon Fraser University