Crime Prevention Mechanisms in Algerian Legislation – Administrative Regulation as a Model

The administrative activity of state institutions manifests in two aspects. The first is the satisfaction of the public needs of individuals, and the second is the preservation of public order within the state. Therefore, it can be said that administrative activity has two functions: one positive and the other negative. The positive aspect appears in the intervention of the public administration, as the representative of the state, in the lives of individuals to satisfy their various needs and demands in a way that achieves the public good. Since crime, before it represents a violation of individuals' rights, whether in their lives or property, constitutes an attack on the community's interest by threatening its security and violating its public order, the negative aspect of administrative activity—namely, administrative control and the imposition of certain restrictions and regulations on individuals' activities and public freedoms—has become more than necessary in the context of the modern state to preserve public order, ensure its security and stability, and prevent the occurrence of assaults, or more precisely, crimes. Administrative control is one of the most important and necessary functions of the modern state, through which it seeks to strike a balance between individuals' right to exercise their freedoms and activities and the preservation of public order in its traditional and modern forms (Amar, 2016, p. 01). This ensures the stability of relationships among its members and prevents the commission of various forms of crime. Thus, our study aims to examine the role played by the passive activity of the administration, or what is precisely known as administrative control, in preventing crimes or even reducing them.