Crime Prevention in Australia - Case Study Example

 Topic: Crime Prevention Introduction: The inner core of every human being is essentially divine. It just needs to be revealed to him to help him align himself with his true personality. “The idea of moving “upstream” and trying to address underlying causes of crime rather than relying on “downstream” reactions by police and other criminal agencies are hardy novel.” (O’Malley, 1997, p.1) With a positive approach by all concerned authorities, the downward march of destruction can be replaced by an upward spiral, by proper counseling and other mind-changing disciplines. When the mind shuns the negativities, positive vibrations zoom and a changed personality emerges. Reformation initiatives, in many countries, including Australia have brought rich dividends for the prison administration as they have improved the discipline by creating a relaxed atmosphere. Reformation and rehabilitation activities are alternative beats of the same heart. What do you understand by the term ‘crime prevention’? Reformation and rehabilitation are the processes by which a crime-oriented individual is absorbed in the mainstream of society. “It is now more than 12 years since Victoria Police, prompted by examples in the United States, initiated the first trials of Neighbourhood Watch.”(O’Malley, 1997, p.1) Van Dijk and De Waard (1991,483) have defined crime prevention as “the total of all private initiatives and state policies, other than the enforcement of criminal law, aimed at the reduction of damage caused by acts defined as criminal by the state.” (O’Malley, 1997, p.3) How successful is the criminal justice system at preventing crime in Australia? Crime is a word with a broad connotation. A project suitable for a particular type of crime may not work well in some other case. “The history of crime prevention in Australia has been a very "stop-and-start" affair.”(Homel, 2005) Some strategies relating to violence at public events, methods used to deal with drug-related crimes, have paid dividends. However, consistent and sustainable results are not forthcoming. But the determination of the authorities for introduction of innovative crime prevention plans is laudable. A national policy for crime prevention is yet to evolve. The awakening and action in this area emerged in 1995, when Safer Australia initiative was launched. The budge allotted for this programme over four years was a small sum of $2.8 million. A panel of experts on the subject of crime, business and community leaders looked after the application of the funds for crime reduction measures. This approach from a particular section of the society with limited objectives, had a promising start, but could not accomplish the intended journey. Australia has a federal system of government. Major institutions of the criminal justice system like police, courts and the prison administration had no active role in the crime prevention agenda. When people talk about crime prevention in Australia, they usually mean approaches that are community based. “Over the past 20 years … Australia's national, state, and territorial governments have consistently turned to the community development model as the basis for constructing viable strategies for the prevention of crime. (Cameron and Laycock 2002).The outcome of this model is not very encouraging. For example, in their famous review of what works in preventing crime, Sherman, Gottfredson, MacKenzie, Eck, Reuter, and Bushway report that "there are no community-based crime prevention programs [that] proved to be effective at preventing crime" (1998: 6). Similarly, Tim Hope has observed that "much of the effort to alter the structure of communities in order to reduce crime has not been noticeably successful or sustainable" (1995: 22). “In New South Wales, crime prevention initiatives are delivered through a range of programs, most notably those managed by the Crime Prevention Division of the NSW Attorney General's Department, the NSW Police, and the Community Solutions initiative of the NSW Premier's Department.”(Homel, 2005) Australia has no national body for defining and articulating trends in crime prevention. Community-based crime prevention methods are active. The approach is known as “whole of government” approach. This is the most accepted approach in many countries. Instead of directly involving in the crime prevention operations, governance through multiple stakeholders is sought to find integrated solutions to social problems, also with the active participation of the Non-governmental organizations. These "whole of government" approaches require a high level of policy, program, and organizational integration to the point of joint or collective action and shared or mutual responsibility for performance and outcomes. This situation is sometimes referred to as "organizational fusion" (IPAA 2002).The workability of the “whole government approach” consists of a detailed agenda involving several agencies and a set of procedures for participation by all concerned, like pooled budgets, partnership arrangements with the concerned agencies like private sector, levels of administration or local government, non-governmental organizations etc. The relationship between providers and clients needs constant revision as per the situational demands, integrated planning based on the criteria of triple-bottom-line analysis (assessment of economic, environmental and social impacts) etc. Decentralization of powers is the watchword. A centralized authority can not render full justice in the area of crime prevention. Police have never owned it and for valid reasons; they can not be expected to play an active role in crime prevention. They have been marginal players. The primary and legal role of the police personnel is to investigate crimes (once they are committed) and apprehend criminals. They are the important partners in the implementation of the various legal provisions related to crimes. Crime prevention requires special focus, an understanding approach and patient commitment, which is futile to expect from the force that works under tremendous work pressure and responsibility. Care with a clinical approach to each criminal /prisoner is beyond their schedule and scope of work. This, however, does not mean that the police are the silent partners in crime prevention. A new style of working in the police departments has far-reaching consequences in crime prevention. The twin tools are intelligence-led policing and problem-oriented policing. Can crime prevention replace the criminal justice system in Australia? Replacement! The answer is an emphatic “No!” Till such time the prison exists, criminal justice system has to be in its proper place. Turn the pages of human crime history; it has not been possible for any system of government, to stop crimes totally. Due to ignorance, revengeful attitudes, greediness and various other social factors, first-time offenders to the prison will continue to arrive. The process of psychological rehabilitation begins once they are locked within the premises of the prison. Criminal justice system has to perform its constitutional role and no amount of reformation activities can replace it. Crime prevention and criminal justice system have to move like a train that speeds on two parallel tracks. Each authority, private or government has to carry on with the respective functions. Even private initiatives are governed by the rules of law; but the human element works more to the advantage and defense of the prisoners. This is the difference. No private agency has the power to ignore or condone the legal offence committed by an individual. The law has to take its own course. The main function of the private agencies is to try to provide better facilities to the prisoners while they serve their sentences, provide rehabilitation services once they are released from the prison so that they will not take to the path or crime. Improvement in police practices is possible in keeping with the modern trends of social justice. “Most police practice, like medical practices, is still shaped by local customs, opinions, theories, and subjective impressions.” Best “evidence- based policing challenges those principles of decision making and creates systematic feed back to provide continuous quality improvement in the achievement of police objectives.” (Preventing…)—“This is equally applicable to the larger field of crime prevention. Whether it be for police, courts or corrections, or alternative, non-criminal justice approaches, such as violence prevention programs in schools or gang intervention programs in communities.”(Preventing…) “In Australia, difficulties have been exacerbated by the fact that policies often are put together in haste when elections loom, with comparatively little attention given to implementation details or priorities. In the light of this, perhaps it should not be surprising that bureaucratic power struggles, rather than genuine contests of ideas, can determine directions finally pursued.” (O’Malley, 1997, p.8) Justice is blind and therefore, it can not take the leadership role in crime prevention. It can play the useful role in expediting the disposal of cases. Conclusion: One main drawback in the prisoner reformation programme in Australia is non-inclusion of the spiritual techniques to empower the inner personality of the prisoners. Even the UNO agencies are on record to admit the positive role of such man-making disciplines. The crime prevention scene is changing fast in Australia now. “First, the political scales are tipping away from a long-established concern with “social” theory and “social “interventions, and toward emphasizing the responsibility of the individual and interventions aimed at creating a particular kind of “active” or “enterprising” person (O’ Malley, 1994). The efforts of the private agencies and the non-governmental organizations need to be stepped up for reformations of the prisoners. The ship of reformation must plough the ocean of sin within the prison and take the prisoners to the safe shore where they can join the mainstream of the Australian society and lead the life as honorable citizens. Word Count: 1550 Summary: When a criminal is constantly nagged and abused, condemned and ostracized by the society, he turns into a viler and bitter individual. Heartfelt care and concern and understanding approach and tender regard for his feelings are necessary pre-requisites to heal his inner wounds in order to help him build a new identity. It is now a proven fact that violent methods and practices can not reform a prisoner. The enlightened society living in the internet revolution era can not approve of the atrocious practices pursed by the police authorities, not long ago. Initiating new reformation processes for prisoners is a tough task. Any new programme will have problems of implementation. But realization has dawned on all concerned, that an intensely shattered personality lies within the four walls of the prison and his psyche needs constant care. The suffering for the under-trial prisoner and many of the innocents arrested grounds of suspicion is even more. Embroiled in an unfriendly system of police administration and jurisprudence that goes by the rule book, the prisoner gets physically, emotionally and economically crushed! One finds it extremely difficult to sustain his normal balance. One is in desperate need of some consolation and a permanent solution. Interactions with the ‘fellow-sufferers’ in the prison lightens stress to some extent but it can not help one on a permanent basis. The criminals have great potentialities. They are individuals of guts. In the absence of proper canalizing of their abilities, they are moving on the wrong track. But if checked and guided well in time, they can become good leaders. There are genuine difficulties in running a reformation/rehabilitation programme in the prison environment. Prison authorities have also to cope up with many other competing and compelling priorities. But the show must go on amidst all challenges and adverse circumstances. The ship of reformation must plough through the sea of criminality. Spectacular results can be expected in due course. In Australia, with all the serious efforts made since 1995, if one looks at the grass-root level reality, the results are not as encouraging as they should be. Unfortunately, crime prevention today has turned out to be more a topic of platform oratory in conventions and seminars than reality. The projects chalked out on paper may be perfect; but significant implementation failures have been observed. Funding is an issue, but the most important issue is the lack of leadership and commitment. Police involvement in one thing; but what really matters is the evolvement to secure the finer objectives of crime prevention. “However, the primary lesson for crime prevention in Australia is clear. Because Australia's is a federal system (made up of three tiers of government), the future for improved crime prevention work lies in the "whole of government" approach being implemented with an increased emphasis on the vertical process (i.e., across the three layers of government and into the community) while continuing the existing emphasis on improving horizontal integration (i.e., between government agencies, business, and the community).” (Homel, 2005) The framework for such an approach is already there. *************** Word Count: 508 References: Cameron, Margaret and Gloria Laycock 2002 Crime prevention in Australia. In Adam Graycar and Peter Grabowsky (eds.), The Cambridge Handbook of Australian Criminology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Homel, Peter, April, 2005.A short history of crime prevention in Australia | Canadian ...A short history of crime prevention in Australia from Canadian Journal of Criminology and Criminal – Retrieved on September 16, 2009 Hope, Tim 1995. Community crime prevention. In Michael Tonry and David P. Farrington (eds.), Building a Safer Society: Strategic Approaches to Crime Prevention. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Institute of Public Affairs Australia [IPAA] 2002 --Integrated Working Together Governance: Final Report. http:// www.ipaa.org.au/12_pdf/national_research_final.pdf O’ Malley, P, 1994, “Responsibility and Crime Prevention”, The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Criminology, 27:21 O’Malley, Patrick (Editor), Sutton, Adam (Editor), Crime Prevention in Australia 1997. Federation Press. Van Dijk and De Waard, J, 1990. “A Two-Dimensional Typology of Crime Prevention Projects: with a Bibliography”, Criminal Justice Abstracts, September 1990: 483 PREVENTING CRIME: WHAT WORKS, WHAT DOESN’T WHAT'S PROMISING Lawrence W. Sherman, Denise Gottfredson, Doris MacKenzie, John Eck, Peter Reuter, and Shawn Bushway. in collaboration with members of the Graduate Program ... - Retrieved on September 16, 2009 Read More