
Strengthening
Families and Protecting Children from Substance Abuse
APPENDIX
B
Environmental
Strategy 1: Policy
Environmental Strategy 2: Enforcement
Environmental Strategy 3: Education
Environmental Strategy 4: Communication
Environmental Strategy 5: Collaboration
Endnotes
Environmental
change theory (described in Section I, Science-Based Prevention)
holds that by altering the larger environment that many people share
in their communities and their society as a whole, it is possible
to bring about broad change that over time can dramatically affect
the health and well-being of many people. As Michael Klitzner points
out, "The shared environment [community and society] supports
some behaviors and thwarts others."[1]
Individuals, professional and community groups, and state
and national organizations all can play a role and get involved
in improving the environment in ways that contribute to prevention.
Environmental
approaches focus on changing three interrelated factors in the shared
environment: norms, availability, and regulations.
Norms are defined as "basic orientations concerning
the rightness, or wrongness, acceptability or unacceptability, and/or
deviance of specific behavior for a specific group of behaviors."[2]
For example, universities are using environmental strategies to
change the accepted belief among college students that "binge"
drinking is acceptable and normal behavior for themselves and their
peers.
Availability
refers to the effort and expenditure required to obtain a commodity.
Banning cigarette vending machines from public places, cracking
down on retailers who sell cigarettes to minors, and raising cigarette
prices all make it more difficult for minors to smoke. This, in
turn, could have an effect on the norms surrounding smoking: with
fewer youth inclined to expend the effort necessary to smoke, the
habit would become less common among youth and less obviously acceptable.[3]
Regulations
are the formalized laws or policies, such as those described above,
that are used to control norms and availability. In addition to
restricting availability of cigarettes, policies such as nonsmoking
areas, restaurants, and workplaces can contribute to the perception
of smokers being ostracized, which may affect the norms surrounding
smoking.[4]
Environmental
strategies as a group
offer
an attractive and effective complement to strategies targeted at
individuals. They can help create communities and societies that
are more conducive to bringing about and maintaining desired behavior
changes. There are several reasons for the effectiveness of environmental
strategies as a complement to strategies aimed at individuals and
families:[5]
Broad
reach.
Compared
to prevention strategies that focus on individuals or families,
which seek to make changes in one person at a time, environmental
strategies have the ability to reach entire populations, bringing
about behavior changes among large numbers of people.
Enhanced
effects.
Communities
can achieve more substantial reductions in substance use when environmental
influences are consistent with and reinforce the prevention messages
directed at individuals. Many environmental strategies have been
shown to substantially reduce consumption and use-related problems,
including traffic crashes, unintentional injuries, suicide, cirrhosis
mortality, and assault offenses.
Enduring
effects.
Environmental
strategies have the potential for long-term as well as short-term
effectiveness. When states and communities succeed in making changes
in the legal, economic, and social structures that affect substance
use, these changes in turn may foster important shifts in both individual
attitudes and community norms. In time, this change in the system
may result in fewer opportunities and inducements to use substances.
Ease
of maintenance and cost-effectiveness.
Environmental
strategies have the potential to reach many people at comparatively
low costs.
The
following five types of environmental strategies can have a significant
impact on climate and context:
-
Policy
-
Enforcement
-
Education
-
Communication
-
Collaboration
Each
is discussed in detail below, with a focus on how individuals can
get involved in changing the larger environment. NOTE: These environmental
strategies for preventing, reducing, or eliminating substance abuse
also contribute to violence prevention.

Environmental Strategy 1: Policy
Public
policies, laws, and regulations can be designed to limit access
to substances and to decrease the problems associated with their
use. You are probably familiar with many existing laws, such as:
-
minimum
purchase ages for tobacco and alcohol
-
excise
or "sin" taxes on alcohol and cigarettes to raise
their prices
-
"dram
shop" laws, which hold institutions legally responsible
for serving minors or visibly intoxicated patrons
-
driving
while intoxicated (DWI) laws
-
restrictions
on alcohol and tobacco advertising
-
"zero
tolerance" laws, which charge minors with DWI if they drive
after consuming any alcohol at all
Some
environmental policies, like the ones listed directly above, are
developed and implemented by the government, usually at the state
level. But there are many other regulations that can be put into
place at the local level to achieve similar goals. These include:
-
restrictions
on smoking in public places (e.g., movie theaters and restaurants)
-
open
container laws prohibiting alcohol consumption in public places
-
limits
on the location, density, and hours of operation of liquor stores
-
rules
governing the use and placement of cigarette vending machines
-
regulations
on advertising and billboard placements in the community
Certain
environmental policies can also be implemented by institutions or
organizations: companies can declare themselves smoke-free workplaces;
universities can decline to serve alcohol at their functions.
How
People Can Get Involved
Just
as environmental strategies take place at many different levels
(government, community, institution), there are many ways in which
individuals can get involved in developing and implementing policies
that contribute to prevention.
Issues
surrounding substance abuse have become important political topics
in recent years. The offense of driving under the influence, for
example, has received a lot of attention; many states, in response
to local pressure, have recently reduced the legal blood alcohol
content (BAC) limits for operating a vehicle. State congress people
want to hear what their constituents think about issues like these.
Writing letters to your representatives can be remarkably effective.
Group lobbying can be even more effective; Mothers Against Drunk
Driving (MADD) has been largely credited with bringing the problem
of DWI into public view. Anyone can join MADD and similar groups.
Communities
are run by the people who live in them. Any group can start a campaign
like MADD, from the PTA to a neighborhood association or book club.
Similarly,
a company is only as good as its employees. Towns like Brookline,
Massachusetts, became smoke-free largely through the efforts of
a group of local residents who successfully orchestrated a ballot
initiative. In Brookline, the movement was started by employees
at the town's Department of Health and was quickly joined by a variety
of community members, including teachers, business owners, and private
citizens. A group of employees can submit a petition to management
that shows how many workers are negatively affected by smoking in
the workplace. These kinds of environmental changes can certainly
be effected by small groups of motivated employees.
Policy
Illustration: Community Officials Pass Ordinances Restricting Outdoor
Tobacco and Alcohol Advertising[6]
A
stroll through almost any inner-city neighborhood demonstrates what
researchers know to be true. Alcohol and tobacco billboards saturate
many communities, particularly urban and less affluent communities
that lack the zoning regulations or the clout to keep billboards
out. On one of these walks, it would be hard to miss the images
of attractive people, often people of color, portrayed in images
of sex, wealth, and happiness. You might also notice amusing, friendly
characters such as the Budweiser Frogs or, until recently, Joe Camel.
It
is impossible to shield children from these images. Unlike television
or radio, billboards cannot be turned off. Unlike print ads, they
cannot be restricted to adult-targeted magazines. In fact, many
activists charge that alcohol and tobacco billboards deliberately
target children when they use cartoon characters and talking animals.
One study in an urban Latino community found that children passed
as many as 60 alcohol advertisements on their way to school every
day.[7]
Four
cities . Baltimore, Chicago, Compton (CA), and Inglewood (CA) .
have passed ordinances that limit outdoor advertising for alcohol
and tobacco. Other cities, including Seattle, Cincinnati, and Contra
Costa County (CA), have voluntary agreements with billboard companies
to remove tobacco billboards in areas frequented by children. Still
other communities have similar arrangements or are in the process
of drafting legislation. More than 30 communities nationwide have
taken action against alcohol and tobacco outdoor advertising in
child-sensitive areas.
Baltimore,
one of the first communities to implement local ordinances against
outdoor advertising of alcohol and tobacco, became the target for
a lawsuit by Anheuser-Busch, the world's largest brewer. A company
spokesperson warned that the brewer would "vigorously defend
our right to advertise to adult consumers throughout the nation
and in all media." Anheuser-Busch's lawyers argued that alcohol
is a legal product, and therefore its advertising should not be
treated differently than any other form of advertising.
The
court disagreed. The decision was based on a precedent set by the
U.S. Supreme Court in 1980 which allowed regulations to restrict
commercial speech under certain conditions. The ruling in Anheuser-Busch
vs.Schmoke found that the ordinance was legal for reasons including
the following:
-
Baltimore's
goal of protecting the welfare and temperance of children is
in the government's interest.
-
The
ban was limited to areas in the city where children are likely
to be present.
-
The
regulations do not limit the company's ability to advertise
in other venues.
-
Billboards
are an appropriate target for regulation because of their intrusiveness
in a community.
-
Children
deserve special protections from aggressive marketing practices.
Anheuser-Busch
appealed the decision in Anheuser-Busch vs. Schmoke, but it was
upheld by the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. The brewer then appealed
to the Supreme Court, which refused to hear the case.
It
is likely that eventually the Supreme Court will hear a case on
the rights of commercial speech with respect to products that are
illegal for children. For now, however, two lower courts have stood
in favor of Baltimore, and other cities are following its lead.

Environmental
Strategy 2: Enforcement
If
laws and regulations are to deter people and businesses from illegal
behaviors, they must be accompanied by significant penalties and
they must be enforced. Many more people would speed, for example,
if speeding tickets cost only $5 or if police didn't use radar guns.
Instead, drivers who might otherwise speed are deterred by the possibility
of being pulled over and receiving a big fine and license "points."
Many
of the laws designed to reduce the problems of alcohol, tobacco,
and other drug use are not enforced or are enforced only sporadically,
including:
-
minimum
purchase ages for alcohol and tobacco
-
DWI
and zero tolerance laws
-
laws
against possession and sales of illicit drugs
Furthermore,
in some states the penalties for breaking these laws are not severe
enough. If a retail alcohol outlet makes $400 a month from sales
to minors but gets caught approximately once a year and fined $1000,
those sales are still profitable; the store may well choose to risk
being caught. On the other hand, if the fines were increased to
$5000 or the likelihood of being caught increased to approximately
once a month, the store would probably change its practice.
Just
as the likelihood of being caught influences people's decisions
to obey the law, so does their perception of the chances of being
caught. For example, it has been estimated that the probability
of a driver with a BAC of over 0.10 percent being arrested is between
1/1000 and 1/200; in other words, extremely low. Some people refrain
from driving under the influence only for fear of being caught;
if they actually knew the low probability, they might be more inclined
to go ahead and drive. However, surveys show that driver perceptions
of the likelihood of being caught are closer to 1/10.[8]
The
notion of perceived risk as a deterrent to criminal behavior has
led to a variety of initiatives designed to improve awareness of
laws and law Enforcement. Examples include:
-
highway
postings that notify drivers of helicopter speed patrols
-
empty
police cars parked on the roadside to act as speed trap decoys
-
highly
visible roadside sobriety checkpoints
-
billboards
and public-service announcements that describe penalties for
certain offenses
How
People Can Get Involved
As
with Policy development, much of the burden of law Enforcement rests
on the state. Yet pressure from constituents can encourage politicians
and law Enforcement officials to crack down on these offenses. Here
are some things you can encourage your law Enforcement agencies
to do:
-
conduct
sting operations that target merchants who sell alcohol and
tobacco to minors
-
establish
well-publicized sobriety checkpoints on popular roads and outside
bars
-
set
up surveillance of areas known for illegal drug sales
-
increase
building inspections and enforce regulations to force landlords
to improve or demolish run-down buildings
-
make
use of civil and criminal "nuisance abatement" statues,
which require landlords to evict tenants involved in narcotics-related
activities or risk personal prosecution
Law
Enforcement officials, however, are not the only people who can
help enforce laws designed to reduce access to alcohol, tobacco,
and other drugs and the problems they cause. Individuals and community
organizations can contribute by:
-
conducting
citizen patrols in neighborhoods known for illegal drug sales
-
observing
whether retail outlets are abiding by minimum age laws (e.g.,
do they check ID) and reporting those that do not
-
organizing
letter-writing campaigns to local and state politicians
Enforcement
Illustration: Coalition Seeks to Raise Perceived Risk of Underage
Drinking[9]
Zero
tolerance laws exist in every state and the District of Columbia.[10]
These laws make it illegal for youth under the age of 21 to drive
after consuming any alcohol at all (usually measured as a BAC of
0.02 percent). Under zero tolerance, police officers may require
a breath test from any driver under 21 who they suspect may have
been drinking; the law does not require that the officer have probable
cause to suspect actual impairment. Drivers who are found to have
consumed alcohol may have their drivers. license revoked or suspended.
Young
drivers place a high value on their drivers. license. The threat
of losing it for three months would be a substantial deterrent for
most young drivers. But many young people, unfamiliar with zero
tolerance, do not know that they could lose their license for driving
after consuming just one alcoholic beverage, even if they were pulled
over for an unrelated offense.
The
Connecticut Coalition to Stop Underage Drinking recently joined
forces with the state Department of Transportation to increase public
awareness of two sets of laws: the zero tolerance laws passed in
Connecticut in 1995 and related laws against providing minors with
alcohol, for which parents or other adults can be fined up to $1500
or go to jail for up to 18 months.[11]
While these laws have been on the books for over three years, in
the past they have not been strictly enforced.
The
Coalition's campaign focuses much of its attention on outreach to
local police departments, encouraging them to ambitiously enforce
zero tolerance laws and laws that make it illegal to provide alcohol
to minors.[12]
The
Coalition has also produced a series of print ads for newspapers,
posters for community organizations, an outdoor billboard message,
and two public service messages to be played on the radio. It has
submitted many articles about the campaign to local Connecticut
newspapers. The ads and articles describe the laws and their penalties
as well as the dangers of underage drinking and driving. The intention
of this media barrage is to dramatically increase awareness of the
laws. Studies show that zero tolerance laws are particularly effective
in reducing underage drinking and driving when the laws have been
amply publicized.[13]
According
to the Coalition's project director, the campaign is looking to
achieve several outcomes.[14]
The most obvious is to increase compliance by raising awareness
of the state's underage drinking laws. By calling attention to the
dangers of drinking and driving, furthermore, the campaign hopes
to increase public support for Enforcement of those laws. Police
and other law Enforcement officials are more likely to arrest, convict,
or revoke licenses if there is a clear public mandate to enforce
youth drinking and driving laws.

Environmental
Strategy 3: Education
In
any situation that requires individuals to take action, Education
is crucial. In order for environmental strategies such as Policy
changes, Enforcement, and community Collaborations to be successful,
the public must know what measures are available to them and what
policies they are expected to follow.
Public
awareness campaigns are discussed in more detail under Environmental
Strategy 5. A variety of more specific Educational programs can
contribute to successful environmental strategies. They include:
-
server
training programs that work with bartenders and wait staff to
reduce service to minors and intoxicated customers
-
Education
of merchants about the laws and penalties for selling to underage
customers
How
People Can Get Involved
Educational
strategies first and foremost require a recognition of need. Community
members, as patrons of businesses in their communities, are in a
good position to determine whether laws are being respected and
whether business owners and employees are aware of their responsibilities
and the potential penalties for failing to uphold them.
Educational
programs are often conducted by knowledgeable professionals, but
that does not exclude members of the community from becoming involved.
They can:
-
point
out to the owners of businesses they patronize (e.g., restaurant
owners) that their employees are not obeying laws (e.g., waiters
are serving drinks to minors)
-
suggest
employee training to business owners
-
in
Collaboration with other community members and business owners,
encourage the municipal government to provide server or owner
training, or set up such training independently of the government
Education
Illustration: University Implements Widespread Campaign to Encourage
Responsible Beverage Service and Consumption[15]
Binge
drinking, the practice of consuming multiple drinks over a short
period of time, is a serious problem at colleges and universities
nationwide. A 1993 national survey of over 17,000 students at 140
four-year colleges and universities, conducted by the Harvard School
of Public Health, found that 44 percent of the students surveyed
were binge drinkers. Binge drinking was defined for men as consuming
5 or more drinks in a row in the past two weeks, and for women as
drinking 4 or more, where a drink was 12 ounces of beer, 4 ounces
of wine, or one shot of liquor.[16]
Alcohol-related
deaths on campus have figured prominently in the news in recent
years, alongexposésxposés on date rape, drunk driving, and other
dangerous behaviors associated with binge drinking. Students often
attribute their drinking to the stress of academic responsibilities,
peer pressure, or social structures such as fraternities and sororities,
which encourage drinking to excess. Enforcement of a minimum drinking
age is particularly difficult on college campuses, where there are
students of all ages hosting parties and a limited number of Enforcement
personnel.
In
1991, Stanford University received a three-year grant from the California
State Office of Traffic Safety to reduce problems related to student
drinking by encouraging responsible alcoholic beverage service.
The Stanford Community Responsible Hospitality Project aimed to
encourage members of the Stanford community to party safely, with
or without alcohol, and to present a clear and consistent message
of responsible drinking and hospitality.
One
way to shift the focus away from alcohol consumption is to be more
creative in planning parties by developing party themes, providing
entertainment, and serving food and nonalcoholic beverages as well
as alcohol. To this end, the project sponsored the development of
a group of trained student peer educators called the Party Pro's.
These students serve as consultants to students who are planning
parties, by offering help in selecting themes, entertainment, decorations,
food, and beverages as well as in budgeting, fund-raising, and promoting
the parties.
The
Party Pro's offer services well beyond party planning. Peer educators
ensure that their fellow students are familiar with state and campus
alcohol policies and laws, and help student groups such as fraternities
and sororities develop policies for their social activities. They
train student bartenders, as well as sober party monitors, who oversee
the guests. They also train escort coordinators, who ensure that
guests are using designated drivers or have other safe transportation
at the end of the evening.
To
further facilitate successful party planning, the project also sponsored
quarterly Event Planning Fairs. The Fairs included presentations
on liability issues and school policies and an overview of the services
provided by The Party Pro's and the Office of Student Activities,
as well as a trade show where local businesses, such as disc jockeys,
party suppliers, caterers, and florists . promoted their services.
To
ensure that students receive a clear and consistent message about
responsible hospitality, the Stanford Community Responsible Hospitality
Project established the Hospitality Alliance with local businesses
and public safety officials. Members agree to promote responsible
drinking and beverage service, and sometimes take action against
those who do not. For example, student members of the Alliance joined
with a local restaurant to voice complaints about another local
establishment's ads in the campus newspaper, which offered 25-cent
shots; the ads were subsequently dropped.
Although
the project is no longer funded by the Office of Traffic Safety,
the Hospitality Alliance and the Party Pro. s continue to function
at Stanford. Findings from the project showed a positive change
in the university's drinking environment; students are holding smaller
and more controlled parties; using sober monitors and trained bartenders;
checking IDs; and serving food and nonalcoholic beverages.

Environmental
Strategy 4: Communication
Public
perceptions about alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs play a significant
role in their use. Glamorization of smoking, for example, has been
linked to an increase in youth tobacco use. Policies restricting
tobacco and alcohol advertising can begin to reduce the flood of
positive portrayals of substance use that assaults us. Community
organizations, lobbying groups, and other collaborative efforts
can encourage the television and film industries to reduce their
portrayals of drinking, smoking heroes. But these images are still
pervasive: famous actors are photographed holding cigarettes and,
lately, cigars, while many rock stars glamorize drug and alcohol
use.
One
way to counteract these omnipresent positive images is to educate
the public about the true dangers of substance use. Public awareness
can be developed in several ways:
-
social
marketing using the principles of commercial advertising
in public health or public service campaigns to make the message
more effective
-
media
advocacy using mass media to advance a public Policy
initiative or message
-
media
literacy fostering the ability to analyze and evaluate
messages in the media
How
People Can Get Involved
One
of the most important things individuals can do to contribute to
substance abuse prevention is be vocal. If two hundred people have
the same opinion on a subject, but none of them make their beliefs
known, the group will never know that they are united in thought
and will not have the opportunity to organize. Youth often feel
pressured to abuse substances because they are under the impression
that "everybody is doing it." Ways in which individuals
can affect public perceptions include:
-
speaking
up talking about the dangers of substance abuse and what
strategies you would like to take against them at town
meetings, and school or PTA functions, sharing opinions with
friends, neighbors, and acquaintances and encouraging others
to do the same
-
writing
it down sending letters to the editor, op-ed pieces,
and articles for community newsletters and anyplace else opinions
might be read
-
critically
analyzing messages in the media thinking about the images
of alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use in the movies, on television,
and in print media, and talking to fellow audience members,
especially children, about whether those messages are accurate,
whether they reflect reality, and whether they take into account
the negative aspects of substance abuse
-
informing
local prevention groups and other community groups that you
would be interested in participating in public outreach campaigns,
message-testing focus groups, and other events
Communication
Illustration: State Partnership Conducts Campaign to Counter Pro-Alcohol
Messages Associated with the Mexican Holiday Cinco de Mayo[17]
CalPartners,
a California partnership of community substance abuse prevention
organizations, began a campaign in 1998 to counter pro-alcohol messages
and promote the true meaning of the Mexican holiday Cinco de Mayo,
a family holiday of remembrance. It began with a list of six goals:
-
promote
alcohol- and tobacco-free Cinco de Mayo celebrations
-
replace
alcohol and tobacco sponsorships of holiday events with other
sponsors
-
encourage
responsible service of alcoholic beverages at celebrations that
do serve alcohol, and abstinence or moderate consumption among
participants
-
meet
with alcohol and tobacco distributors and retailers to encourage
them to market responsibly during Cinco de Mayo and not market
it as a drinking holiday
-
foster
general awareness of the true meaning and family nature of Cinco
de Mayo
-
hold
public protests of celebrations and advertisements that demean
Mexican symbols and Latinos
To
achieve their goals, CalPartners designed an action plan, with activities
that people can take part in as individuals or members of community
agencies or larger Collaborations. The following were among their
suggestions:
-
hold
a kick-off press event
-
secure
endorsements from elected officials, the faith community, ethnic
and health groups, and other local organizations
-
send
letters to and request meetings with event organizers, distributors,
retailers, and advertising outlets (newspapers, radio and TV
stations) asking them to not market or sell products that are
marketed in an objectionable way
-
seek
sponsorships for alternative, alcohol-free events
-
ask
local Beverage Control representatives or local authorities
to decline licenses for celebrations with records of past problems
due to alcohol availability
-
communicate
with community, health, and business reporters at TV and radio
stations and local newspapers about the mission
-
hold
public events that praise supporters; promote safe and positive
celebrations; and protest celebrations and advertisements that
are objectionable
-
volunteer
to help police departments administer and monitor responsible
beverage service at celebrations serving alcohol, and promote
awareness among attendees
CalPartners
actively distributes information to help people join in its campaign.
It has compiled a brief history about the true meaning of Cinco
de Mayo as well as research about the effects of alcohol on Latinos.
The group has also designed sample statements that can be sent to
the press. All of this information is available on the World Wide
Web (www.calpartners.org) or by mail. The organizers of the initiative
are available to answer questions, supply promotional materials,
coordinate statewide coalitions, and even travel to California communities
to help organize.

Environmental
Strategy 5: Collaboration
Individual
members of a community can do many things to help prevent substance
abuse. Groups of people working together can have an even greater
effect. There are many types of possible Collaborations, and they
can take place between any and all groups of people who have an
interest in the community:
-
parents
-
police
-
teachers,
administrators, and other school personnel
-
municipal
agencies (e.g., departments of health and Education)
-
community
service providers
-
business
owners
-
community
groups (e.g., PTA, church groups, volunteer societies)
How
People Can Get Involved
Professional
Collaborations, for example among community service providers, can
ensure that organizations avoid duplicating services and reallocate
scarce resources to provide a wider variety of services. Police
can work with schools to keep substances off school grounds. Business
owners can unite and agree to prohibit smoking on their property.
Organized groups of community members can do many things, including:
-
encourage
businesses to prohibit smoking
-
make
every effort to patronize businesses that act in accordance
with community goals and not patronize those that do not
-
pressure
local officials to develop policies and improve Enforcement
of laws designed to reduce the problems associated with substance
abuse
-
work
with municipal officials and private landlords to improve, rebuild,
or raze abandoned buildings that are used to engage in drug
use, adolescent alcohol use, and other illegal activities
-
reclaim
public spaces such as parks and vacant lots by picking up trash,
planting gardens, and in general spending time in the areas
to discourage others from using the space for illegal activities
-
make
use of civil and criminal "nuisance abatement" statues,
which require landlords to evict tenants involved in narcotics-related
activities or risk personal prosecution
Collaboration
Illustration: Community Group Uses Nuisance Abatement Laws to Clean
Up the Neighborhood[18]
Nuisance
abatement has been part of common law since the sixteenth century.
This concept can be applied to any vacant property that creates
a nuisance to neighbors by interfering with their right to the quiet
enjoyment of their property. A property might reasonably be considered
a nuisance if, for example, it is used for drug dealing, has become
infested by insects or rodents, or otherwise presents a physical
danger or health threat to neighbors.
Any
neighbor of such a property, whether an individual person or group,
business owner, church, or other entity in the vicinity of the nuisance,
can sue the owner of the property. Nuisance abatement law provides
that as long as the neighbors provide adequate notice to the property
owner, behave reasonably, and do not disturb the peace, they have
the right to deal with the nuisance in an appropriate fashion if
the owner does not, and then sue the owner for the cost of remedying
the nuisance; the court then has the authority to order the owner
to repay those costs. "Abating" the nuisance might include
cleaning up the yard around the property, boarding up the building,
or turning off the water.
The
process an individual, group, or business follows for this type
of nuisance abatement is to:
-
identify
nuisance property
-
gather
evidence, such as answers to the questions: Who owns the property?
What is the nuisance? Are the police aware of the problem? Has
the property been raided by the police?
-
give
the owner notice and request that the nuisance be abated
-
after
a reasonable amount of time, take action to abate the nuisance
-
sue
the owner for the cost of the action
Members
of the Butcher's Hill Community of Baltimore put this common law
to good use. An abandoned house in their neighborhood had become
a magnet for drug use, drug sales, and other criminal activities,
attracting undesirables from all over the city. After notifying
the owner that they would board the property if he failed to do
so, a group of residents sealed off all possible entrances to the
house, using construction techniques specifically developed to keep
buildings secure from trespassers. They also cleaned the yard and
sealed the entrance to the property.
The
community residents then sued the owner for the cost of labor and
materials, approximately $350, and the District Court awarded them
the full amount. The group now plans to use this technique to clean
up other drug houses in their community.

Endnotes:
[1]Klitzner,
M. (1998). Integrating environmental change theory into prevention
practice. Northeast CAPT Regional Summit: Environmental Strategies
to Reduce Youth Substance Abuse. Providence, RI. Dec. 2-3, 1998.
[2]
Klitzner, M. (1998). Integrating environmental change theory into
prevention practice.
[3]
Klitzner, M. (1998). Integrating environmental change theory into
prevention practice.
[4]
Klitzner, M. (1998). Integrating environmental change theory into
prevention practice.
[5]
Fischer, D. (1998). Environmental prevention strategies: An introduction
and overview (draft). Rockville, MD: National Center for the Advancement
of Prevention.
[6]
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