Peter Norden, A.O.Melb. Law School, Uni of Melb.

• ECONOMIC IMPACT ON THE CIVIL AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEMS

Senior Managers Planning Day Department of Justice

Victoria

19th March 2009

Economic Stress and Crime

• This theme has a long history in the study of criminology, but focus is on individuals

• Focus on “crime prone communities”• What are the developmental antecedents?• Loss of parenting skills and control: stress• Growth of delinquent peer influence• Poor education and low job skills• Unemployment and low income

Emeritus Professor

Tony Vinson

Author & Researcher

Faculty of Education

& Social Work,

University of Sydney

THE INDICATORS

(1) SOCIAL DISTRESS: low family income, rental stress, home purchase stress, lone person households.(2) HEALTH: low birth-weight, childhood injuries, immunisation, disability / sickness support, life expectancy, psychiatric patients: hospital / community, suicide.(3) COMMUNITY SAFETY: child maltreatment, criminal convictions, imprisonment, domestic violence.(4) ECONOMIC: unskilled workers, unemployment, long-term unemployment, dependency ratio, low mean taxable income, limited computer use / internet access.(5) EDUCATION: non-attendance at preschool, incomplete education, early school leaving, post-schooling qualifications.(6) COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT: a range of Victorian community indicators.

VICTORIA

DISADVANTAGE FACTOR RANKINGS: VICTORIA

BAND 1: Broadmeadows (3047), Heathcote (3523), Korong Vale (3520), Maryborough (3465), Nyah West (3595), Rosebud West (3940).

BAND 2: Braybrook (3019), Corinella (3984), Doveton (3177), Inglewood (3517), Lake Tyers (3887), Wonthaggi (3995).

BAND 3: Colac (3250), Corio (3214), Dunolly (3472), Eaglehawk (3556), Eildon (3713), Hastings (3915).

BAND 4: Campbellfield ( 3061), Heidelberg West (3081), Korumburra (3950), Minyip (3392), Nyah (3594), Robinvale (3549).

BAND 5: Castlemaine (3450), Dimboola (3414), East Geelong (3219), Orbost (3888), Rosebud (3939), Toora (3962).

BAND 6: Avoca (3467), Beaufort (3373), Benalla (3672), Fawkner (3060), Lake Boga (3584), Lakes Entrance (3909), Lismore (3324), Nagambie (3608), Sebastopol (3356) Stawell (3380).

DISADVANTAGE FACTOR CORRELATIONS: VICTORIA: CRIME

.601 Low job skills

.535 Job Qualifications

.633 Disability Pensions

.544 Year 12 Incomplete

.534 Low income

DISADVANTAGE FACTOR CORRELATIONS: VICTORIA: IMPRISONMENT

.466 Low job skills

.444 Low pre-school attendance

.411 Unemployment

.379 Year 12 Incomplete

.506 Low taxable income

.527 Child mistreatment

.661 Public rental housing

TWO GROUNDS FOR OPTIMISM

a. effects of social cohesion on disadvantage impacts, e.g. crime.

b. results of ‘community strengthening’ programs

SOCIAL COHESION

DEFINING CHARACTERISTICS:

• VOLUNTEERISM

• MEMBERSHIP OF LOCAL GROUPS

• GROUP ACTION TO IMPROVE COMMUNITY

• NEIGHBOURS HELP IN DIFFICULT TIMES

• FEEL SAFE WALKING IN NEIGHBOURHOOD

• AGREE PEOPLE CAN BE TRUSTED

• ATTENDANCE AT LOCAL COMMUNITY EVENT

SOCIAL COHESION

SCORES FOR 495 VICTORIAN POSTCODES:

• 155 SHOWED HIGH SOCIAL COHESION

• 176 SHOWED MEDIUM SOCIAL COHESION

• 164 SHOWED LOW SOCIAL COHESION

24 four pairs of harmful communal conditions and associated unwanted outcomes were studied across the 495 postcodes with social cohesion scores.

In every instance the degree of association (correlation) between the adverse conditions and unwanted outcomes was lower in the high cohesion localities than in the low cohesion ones.

EXAMPLES OF IMPACT OF SOCIAL COHESION

Further examples of impact of social cohesion

• Adverse conditions/harmful outcomes VIC LOW HIGH

• Unemployment/criminal convictions .49 .67 .30

• Early school leaving/imprisonment .42 .47 .14

• Low family income/imprisonment .48 .64 .09

• Year 12 incomplete/imprisonment .16 .25 .08

• Low work skills/imprisonment .49 .42 .19

• Early school leaving/convictions .48 .51 .37

Economic Stress and Crime“Delinquent Prone Communities”, Weatherburn and Lind, 2001, NSW Bureau of Crime & Statistics.

• “Parents with dependent children who experience higher levels of economic stress are more likely to neglect or abuse their children or engage in disciplinary practices which are harsh, erratic and inconsistent.

• This pattern of parenting behaviour increases the likelihood that children affected by it will gravitate toward or affiliate more strongly with their peers. To the extent that these peers are involved in crime, this association increases the likelihood that susceptible juveniles will become involved in crime.

• These effects are attenuated when parents facing economic stress are enmeshed in a strong social support network but they are exacerbated in the absence of such a network or when parents face added parenting burdens, such as the absence of a partner (or the presence of an unsupportive partner), marital conflict, a larger number of children, children with behavioural or developmental problems of some kind, or when parents face particular personal problems such as drug addiction or depression.”

MOST DISADVANTAGED 3% OF AUSTRALIA’S LOCALITIES (68 PLACES) VS. REMAINDER

Unemployment double rate of rest

Disability Support double rate of rest

Psychiatric admissions double rate of rest

Criminal Convictions more than double the rate

Long-term unemployment 2.5 times rate of rest

Imprisonment nearly three times the rate of rest

Confirmed child maltreatment 3.5 times the rate of rest

WHOLE OF GOVERNMENT

Social Cohesion lessens the impact of harmful communal conditions, such as unemployment, low education…

But to build stronger, resilient communities, we need:

• Education and training/re-training

• Work and income generation

• Improving health levels

• Increased parenting skills

• Problem solving law enforcement/diversion

• Development of local leadership capacity

RESOURCING DISADVANTAGED COMMUNITIES

Evidence shows such broad-based and integrated, holistic programs bring results.

However, in highly disadvantaged areas, such programs must be sustained for a substantial period – say, 8 years or longer, to have a lasting effect, or the problems re-emerge once again.