A research project into the perceptions of graffiti by certain

individuals and groups can be seen as having grounding in both

sociology and criminology. The sociology of deviance and delinquency

in urban areas, as well as the socio-historical development of

graffiti as a cultural practice provides a basis for further research

into the effects of this phenomenon. In terms of criminology, the

extent to which the police and local authorities see graffiti as a

problem is also worth investigating. Various theses have analysed the

link between minor offences such as low level property crime, and the

perceptions of certain public spaces as run down or insecure. As

students of sociology the five researchers involved in this project

have an interest in how graffiti provokes a societal reaction to the

changing environment of these spaces. In addition to this, all of the

researchers have some limited experience of...