convincing governments to invest in prevention: reducing crime, protecting rights irvin waller...

Convincing governments to invest in prevention:

Reducing crime, Protecting rights

Irvin WallerProfessor, University of Ottawa

[email protected] www.lesslawmoreorder.com

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.lesslawmoreorder.com/

www.lesslawmoreorder.com

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Shifting government policy from ¨justice¨ for offenders to rights for victims and taxpayers

From To

Retributive justice Protection of victims

More Police, prisoners and lawyers

Nurses, teachers, youth workers, city collaboration

Debate Criminal Code Action plan, target risk and $

Response Punishment to fit crime Measures to reduce crime

Results MoreArrests and sentences

FewerVictims and offenders

Less Law, More Order:Convincing governments to invest in crime prevention

Rights to reliable knowledge

Tough on crime is tough on rights of victims of crime and taxpayers

Rights of women, young men and neighbourhoods at risk

Rights of voters to Shift from ¨pay for law¨ to ¨invest in order¨


4Audit Commission


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Sources of truth about preventing victimisation

Prestigeous agencies have reviewed accumulation of meta-analyses of

evaluations

• United Nations – World Health Organization, 2002, 2004– UN Guidelines on Crime Prevention, 1996, 2002– Habitat – Safer Cities, 1996-

• Authoritative Sources– National Research Council, 1998-2005 (USA) – British Inspectorate of Police, 1998 (UK)– Home Office and Treasury, 1997 (UK)– Report to US Congress, 1997 (USA)– Audit Commission, 1996 (UK)


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Sources of truth about preventing victimisation

Evaluations were scientific studies of outcomes

• Comparisons of outcomes following – those who experienced a ¨prevention¨ program

tackling risk factors (remedy for negative life experience)

– With those who experienced the ¨standard¨ system of police, courts and corrections and ¨standard¨ social welfare and education programs

• Many experiments using ¨Random Control Trials¨

• Many using long term follow-up studies (longitudinal cohorts)

• Some using cost-benefit analyses


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Too Many Victims of CrimeIn round numbers, each year in a city of

100,000 persons


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Rate of adult incarceration per 100,000 total population

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

Japan Canada Englandand Wales

USA

1970

2007

Too many prisoners


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Too many taxes mispent on police, lawyers and prisoners


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Violent Crime Recorded by New York Police Department 1980-2000

Too many false claims, false solutions


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Too many victims, not reporting to police


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Make youth flourish rather than crime


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According to longitudinal studies,

youth offend more persistently if

• Born into a family in relative poverty and inadequate housing;

• Brought up with inconsistent and uncaring parenting; a witness of intra-familial violence;

• Limited social and cognitive abilities;• Presenting behavioural problems in primary school;• Excluded from, or dropping-out of school;• Frequently unemployed and with relatively limited

income;• Living with a culture of violence on television and in the

neighbourhood


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Large scale data sets confirm social, situational and location of crime

• 5% of youth account for 55% of offences– Longitudinal studies confirm 5% risk factors such as

relative poverty, ineffective parenting and dropping out of school

• 4% of victims account for 44% of victimisation– Victimisation studies confirm 4% risk life routines such

as not guarding goods, vulnerable to opportunity, close to offenders

• Hot spot locations for drugs and other offences– Police statistics confirm that hotspots concentrate

offenders and victims geographically


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b

Downtown

Parks/Industrial Areas

Disadvantage-2.1 - -0.81-0.81 - -0.22-0.22 - 0.270.27 - 1.021.02 - 2.61

N

EW

S

Crime concentrated in areas of concentrated social disadvantage


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Proven strategies for reducing crime Youth Inclusion Programme

Identify 50 most at-risk youth (13-16yr) living in high-crime neighbourhoods

Provide them with >5 hrs/wk of positive programming: mentoring, sports and recreation, skills

training in literacy, anger management, dealing with gangs and drugs, etc.

Impacts: 72 high crime & deprived estates in England & Wales

Reduced school expulsions by 27%Reduced youth arrests by 65% Reduced overall crime in neighbourhoods

by 16% to 27%


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Proven strategies for reducing crime Promote high school completion in

disadvantaged teens

5 US Cities after school activities with mentoring tutoring, computer skills training, event planning,

volunteering, college/employment planning, etc. small remuneration for participation (~$1/hr) match money earned towards college fund

Impacts: RCTReduced high school dropout by 27%Increased attendance at post-secondary education by 26%Reduced youth arrests by 71% over 4 years


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Violence against women

Preventing violence against women by investing in promising strategies and evaluating outcomes

• Tackling risk factors in school-aged youth, for example by:– Addressing bullying in school and dating and peer violence by

promoting healthy relationships– The Fourth R and Roots of Empathy change attitudes by

30% and more

• Integrated multi-agency response involving social services, law enforcement, commuity agencies and courts

• High-level leadership and commitment– Mayor’s task force on FV,– Strong societal message endorsing anti-violence norms,

expands public awareness


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Active Participation of ResidentsIntentional reductions in break-ins

• Seattle (1970)– Mayor created Law and Justice Planning Office– City diagnosis, plan, priorities, implementation, evaluation– Empowering neighbours to target causes– Paid workers to do training of neighbours– 61% reduction in residential burglary in RCT

• Kirkholt Experiment, UK (1988) – Academic partnered with police and probation– Diagnosis, plan, implementation, evaluation– Empowering potential victims to target causes (cocoon

neighborhood watch - avoid repeat victimisation)– Probation focused on persistent offenders– 75% reduction vs national increase(in trend analysis)


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Smart policing combined with smart prevention Intentional reduction in youth murders

City of Boston• Collaboration between law enforcement (Boston PD, DEA

plus), youth street workers, families and Harvard • Gang members are young people in trouble: they do not

want to die; they need help from adults.• Realistic alternatives to the life of violence in the streets –

school completion, job training, jobs• Unpleasant consequences for those who choose violenceImpact (within 2 years – NB crime rates were dropping in US but over

decade):– 71% reduction in homicides committed by youth

aged 24 and under – 70% reduction in gun assaults for all ages– (See also SACSI and Safe Neighborhoods)


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World report on violence and health

World report on violence and health


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Multi-sector governance to tackle multiple risk factors


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Factors considered as causes of crime in Britain today

Major MainDrugs 68 26Lack of discipline from parents 67 30Alcohol 53 8Too lenient sentencing 41 11Breakdown of family 38 8Lack of discipline from school 36 3Unemployment 30 3Too few police 26 2Poverty 23 4Other 0 4

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What works to reduce victimization:

One dollar for prevention equals Seven dollars for mass incarceration


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Chapter 8Shift from ¨Pay for Law¨

to ¨Invest in Order¨

• Actions to Prevent Crime Based on Truth– Invest in Youth in the Community– Stop Violence against Women and Children– Help Neighbours Watch and Design to Reduce Crime– Tackle Risk Factors with both Prevention and

Enforcement– Do Justice to Support for Victims


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Chapter 8Shift from ¨Pay for Law¨

to ¨Invest in Order¨

• Crime Bills for Office for Crime Prevention– Federal incentives and State Leadership to Shift from

Reaction to Crime Reduction and Victim Protection– Over 5 years add equivalent of 10 percent of Reactive

Criminal Justice to Organize for Crime Reduction and Victim Protection

– Support Local Government Leadership to Deliver Crime Prevention

– Develop and Train Crime Prevention Professionals– Establish Data on Risk Factors, Victimization and

Location


Less Law, More Order frames the issue in terms of

(i) Voters and taxpayers are (potential) crime victims

(i) 1 in 4 will be victims of common crime each year

(ii) 1 in 3 women will be victims of sexual assault in life time

(ii) The best return on investments over time

(i) 3 year plan to produce 50% reductions in 5 to 10 years

(ii) Every additional Euro for standard reaction matched with Euro for targeted programs for youth, families, women and neighbourhoods.

(iii) Public opinion:

(i) Understands that crime has multiple causes – parenting, schools, alcohol, drugs, sanctioning, police

(ii) Prefers investments in education, job training and jobs to more expenditures on police, courts and corrections.

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Alberta (Canadian Province) policy to win elections and reduce crime

• A three pronged approach that is acceptable to public– Combination of enforcement, treatment and prevention can be

part of a successful electoral campaign– Funds to be invested in a broad range of areas from early

childhood, youth, aboriginal, family violence, data, municipalities and more

• A strategic plan to coordinate different ministries– a secretariat with senior full time participation from 9 key

ministries to ensure a cross government focus on crime reduction and community safety

– Invest in what is proven to work and evaluate results• Increased funding for prevention to match enforcement

– $500 million over 3 years (3 million population)– It matches increases in expenditures on law enforcement and

corrections with investments in prevention.


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For the harm done by the offender, he is responsible

For the harm done because we do not use the best knowledge when that is available to

us, we are responsible

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convincing governments to invest in prevention: reducing crime, protecting rights irvin waller...

Documents

crime prevention rights

victims of crime

rights of victims

order slide

police slide

violent crime

offenders slide

risk rights of voters