Best Criminological Practices for Crime Prevention - Research Proposal Example

BEST PRACTICES” PROJECT Executive Summary Best practices may be defined as “strategies and programs demonstrated through research and evaluation to be effective at preventing or intervening in juvenile delinquency [or criminal activity, in general]. Best practice models include program models that have been shown, through rigorous evaluation and replication, to achieve target outcomes” (Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, 2011: para. 9). This paper discusses 16 criminological best practices for crime prevention, including those for policing, deterrence theory, gun control, rehabilitation, domestic violence, dealing with drugs, and community focused efforts on offender re-entry. The paper is introduced with an elucidation of what works and concludes with a comparison between what works and what the best practices discussed revealed. What Works The what-works paradigm, according to Miller (2006) follows an evidence based criminological approach. Evidence-based criminology necessitates that high quality evaluation research is carried out to ground the foundation of a policy or practice. Following are the characteristics of successful crime prevention progams: (1) collaboration and partnerships between or among multiple agencies or organizations; (2) awareness of the needs of different groups or cultures; (3) use and dependence on evidence-based research to inform the goals and curricula of the programes; (4) community participation and buy-in; (5) positive mentoring experiences; (6) involvement of parents; and (7) situational policing and crime prevention to target crime hotspots (J. McDonald Williams Institute, 2007). 16 Best Practices 1.0. On Gun Control The two best practices on gun Weed and Seed Program and Comprehensive Strategy for Serious, Violent and Chronic Offenders synergized operations for best results (Lenoir, 2002; US Department of Justice, 2001). This merged-program provides a framework for the review and analysis of crime problems with both local and state law enforcement officials and prosecutors and is directed through research-guided strategic planning process. In the real world scenario, the merged-program works by intelligent and persistent community attention to juvenile delinquency and crime. Gun control was accomplished through programs on gun abatement, educating the people of the community on strategies to mitigate gun violence and distribution of trigger locks. It is considered a best practice because the rewards from adopting the system had been widely evidence in criminological literature and the practice spread to various states. 2.0. On Drug Abuse The Urban Women Against Substance Abuse ([UWASA], 2002) was operationalised under the auspices of the Institute of Community Research and directed towards the enhancement of the self-concept of girls through an understanding of their own gender, culture and community. It is a 28-week intervention which went on for 5 years, where two groups of 15 girls meet twice a week for 7 months, while their mothers or other mothers were provided weekly sessions, monthly sessions, home visits and telephone contact. It was recognised as a best practice because it was able to demonstrate the relationship between identified risk indicators and primary protective factors and used this as a leverage to bring about individual and group change. The intervention uses participatory action research methods to generate positive results among the participants. Within one and a half years, participants in the UWASA maintained their level of using only healthy substances, whereas the comparison group exhibited unhealthy attitudes and use alcohol, tobacco and other drugs (ATOD). Another drug abuse prevention best practice is Across Ages, a school and community partnership for 9-13 year-olds to fortify the bonds between youth and adults and provide opportunities for worthwhile community involvement (Hanson, 2011). Across Ages pair adult mentors with young adolescents in interventions consisting of mentorships, community service, social competence training, family activities aimed at fostering sense of personal responsibility and community. The program targets increasing protective factors for students identified as high risk in order to prevent, reduce or delay use of ATO, as well as the problems associated with it. It has been awarded as a Best Practice Model in Youth Violence Prevention by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, among others (Hanson, 2011). Practice, Policy, Or Program Practices that are “Promising or Emerging” What does not work and why; Unintended Consequences References A combination of a new and balanced approach of the current drug problem, involving drug court programs, intensive supervision, improving data monitoring, and also life skills training. 1). Develop Drug Court Programs to help reduce re-offending, reduce drug use and relapse, and make offenders accountable for their rehabilitation. 2). More intensely supervise probationers and parolees based on frequent drug testing and court appearances. Provide treatment of offenders soon after arrest, monitor progress and apply swift sanctions for noncompliance, and maintain a critical balance of authority and supervision, but with also support/encouragement. 3). Monitoring data such as surveys on drug use, emergency department admissions on individuals admitted from drug use, and collecting urine specimens from arrestees. 4). Acquire life skills training for drug offenders, including job placement, counseling, and training on how to live a healthy life and how to function in society without drug use. 1)Researchers believe that surveys on drug use may underestimate drug use due to the fact individuals may not want to admit to drug use or the extent of drug use. 2)Limitations on emergency admissions consist of how medical reports may mention drug use which may not be the “actual cause” of admissions which may underestimate data. 3)Making assumptions involving the drug crime connection myths. (“drug causes crime” and “testing positive for drugs meant drugs caused the crime”) 1)Walker, Samuel, (2010). Sense and Nonsense about Crime, Drugs, and Communities. A Policy Guide. 7th Edition 2) doi:10.1177/0011128703049003003 Crime & Delinquency July 2003 vol. 49 no. 3 389-411 3) doi:10.1177/0011128792038004009 Crime & Delinquency October 1992 vol. 38 no. 4 539-556 3.0. On Deterrence The Perry Preschool Project is an early childhood program evidenced to have aa pronounced influence on delinquent behavior. The project blends a model of home visitation with high quality education designed for at-risk children. Follow-up at ages 19 and 27 among the project participants showed that arrests were lower than the control group with similar demographics. This project is considered a best practice because it showed the efficacy of collaborative partnerships between organisations and that researches conducted to evaluate and compare participants and non-participants showed that the former have 50% less probability of being arrested for a serious crime and are less likely than the control group to get involved in a serious fight, cause harm on others or have trouble with the police. Another best practice, Operation Ceasefire is an intervention developed in Boston under the sponsorship of the National Institute of Justice, which involved pulling levers or making use of threats of harsh sanctions to convince the youth offender that an offense would not be worth the price to be paid. The levers used exploited in a positive the known vulnerabilities of the target youth offenders. The intervention was successful because it was used over again after in-house researchers applied local crime data and continually monitored and drew feedback of the activities and outcomes, thereby adjusting accordingly to fill in the current needs (National Institute of Justice, 2008). Practice, Policy, Or Program Practices that are “Promising or Emerging” What does not work and why; Unintended Consequences References `DETERENCE; A combination of practices involving the “Social Disorganization Theory”, including new focuses on 1)Community Prosecution, 2)Vigorous Community Enforcement (even on “petty crimes”) 3) Developing partnerships among criminal justice agencies and non criminal justice agencies to deal with community policing 1) Community Prosecution; Target problems in the geographic area, Justice officials having fast response to community problems, The community members knowing their role to help deterrence, Organizational changes within the geographic area, The prosecutor’s office making new adaptations in case processing. 2)Vigorous enforcement; even on minor crimes such as “curfew violation” in the geographic area. 3) Criminal justice agencies, Non–Criminal Justice Government Agencies, Nonprofit Organizations, and Neighborhood Groups develop community plans to deter crime and disorganization of their community. This may consist of monthly meetings, passing out informational flyers, marches, etc. The Community working with the police will better control crime. 1) More police officers on the streets myth; more cops will not deter anymore than the police already do. 2) Removing police restraints pertaining to evidence will not result in a higher number of criminal convictions 3) Complete unanimity of attitudes and values is seldom reached for any length of time in modern communities. 4)“Loop Holes” are nonexistent in the insanity defense and plea bargaining 5) No single crime policy is the perfect key to crime reduction. 6) Myth that “police only can control crime”. 1)Walker, Samuel, (2010). Sense and Nonsense about Crime, Drugs, and Communities. A Policy Guide. 7th Edition 2)NCJRS.(2011).Community Prosecution Strategies.www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/bja/192826.pdf 3)doi:10.1177/0011128707306689 Crime & Delinquency July 2009 vol. 55 no. 3 339-362 4). Cox, Stephan. (2008). Juvenile Justice: A Guide to Theory, Policy, and Practice. Sixth Edition 4.0. On Domestic Violence Centralized domestic violence courts have been recognized as a best practices approach for the judiciary. In this intervention, all sectors in domestic violence cases, including law enforcement, prosecutors, domestic violence advocates, etc, are required to undergo specialized training in domestic violence dynamics. Crimes were redefined and protocols are put in place with reference to dangerous relationships which may result to potentially fatal outcomes. This best practice makes use of continuous revision and updating to ensure that the best interests of the beneficiaries of the programmed are adequately addressed. It was featured in Illinois’ best practices edition of the publication Compiler (2008). Practice, Policy, Or Program Promising Practices What does not work or Unintended Consequences References *Domestic Violence* Combining practices involving Treatment for domestic violence offenders. 1) Sentencing offenders to anger management programs 2)Batterer Treatment Programs 3) Providing Counseling Services for Domestic Violence Offenders 1) Duluth Model- Program for domestic violence offenders in which was found that they were NOT effective. 2)The Broward County Program for offenders had “ little or no effect” on its clients”. -High rearrest rates after program -Minor improvement in various subjects 1)Walker, Samuel, (2010). Sense and Nonsense about Crime, Drugs, and Communities. A Policy Guide. 7th Edition 2)doi 10.1177/0093854810368937. Criminal Justice and Behavior. August 2010. Vol 37. 815-832 3)doi 10.1177/0964663910384907. Legal Studies. March18th 2011. Vol 20. 79-95` 5.0. On Inmate Rehabilitation The Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability ([OPPAGA], 2009) compiled the following best practices identified through national research for inmate rehabilitative programs: (1) needs assessment of inmates validated through risk and assessment instruments, which should identify inmates with high risk likelihood for recidivism with the end in view of addressing these needs to facilitate rehabilitation; (2) targeting offender characteristics which are associated with criminal behavior, including: substance abuse, criminal thinking and lack of education, with the objective of directing rehabilitative efforts to change such behaviors; (3) development of individualized release plans to assist the offender in their reintegration back to society, with such plans to identify and include essential support services like housing and transportation; (4) collection of inmate data regarding rehabilitative program participation, performance, completion rates, intermediate and long-term outcomes and cost-effectiveness of rehabilitative programs. Practice, Policy, Or Program Promising Practices What does not work or Unintended Consequences References *Rehabilitation* Combining practices involving treating criminals to reduce crime. This would consist of correcting their behavior and rehabilitating them as law abiding citizens. 1) Probation & Parole, supervision of offenders. 2) Prisons Programs that are designed to reintegrate offenders into the community. Example would be 1)academic and vocational education programs 2)drug and alcohol counseling 3) anger management 4)other forms of individual counseling & work experience 3)Intermediate Punishments, designed to place offenders in the community under close surveillance. Examples of these programs include boot camps, electronic monitoring, and home confinement. 1) The “nothing works” controversy- the rehabilitative efforts that have been reported so far have had no appreciable effect on rehabilitation. 2)Observers believe that intermediate punishments may represent a revival of rehabilitation as criminal justice policy 3) Glaser, “certain sentencing and correctional policies, which differ according to the criminalization of the offender, are more likely than their alternatives to reduce recidivism rates” 4) The Rand Study- after 40 months on probation, 65 percent of the probationers had been rearrested…and 51 percent had been reconvicted of a new offense. 5)Many experts argue that traditional probation programs do not provide any kind of meaningful supervision or treatment 1)Walker, Samuel, (2010). Sense and Nonsense about Crime, Drugs, and Communities. A Policy Guide. 7th Edition 2)Rehabilitation of Offenders: Ind Law J (1975) 4(1): 238-239 doi: 10.1093/ilj/4.1.238 3)Probation Journal: doi:10.1177/0264550507089119 Probation Journal June 2008 vol. 55 no. 2 161-170 6.0. On Policing The Capital Region Gang Prevention Program is a coordinated community response against youth gangs in Albany. The initiative makes use of a database of gang intelligence which are created and shared among law enforcement agencies and schools. The program provides awareness to school staff and parents about how gang members operate so that membership in gangs will be deterred. It is considered a best practice in as far as technology-mediated components are integrated in policing work and the community is involved in the project. Efficacy of the project is also being evaluated using sound research-based practices (The United States Conference of Mayors, 2006). The Gang Free Schools and Communities Project in the Greater East End region of Houston made use of the Comprehensive Gang Model which is anchored on five core strategies, namely: mobilization of the community, provision of opportunities, social intervention, suppression, organizational change and development, as a means to address gang issues in the company. Males 15 to 24 years old who in one way or another have criminal involvement were targeted for participation in the program. Outreach workers are assigned to engage the target youth in an intervention where a comprehensive continuum of services are offered including youth participation in the community, education and awareness training. The program is recognized as a best practice because its effectiveness is subjected to strict evidence and research-based evaluation and assessment of participant progress made possible by on-going collection and analysis of crime data (The United States Conference of Mayors, 2006). 7.0. On Offender Reentry The Serious and Violent Offender Reentry Initiative was developed by the Office of Justice as a comprehensive effort to help mitigate problems for both juvenile and adult populations which have the tendency to reenter correction through serious or violent offenses. The initiative offers funding for the development, implementation, enhancement, and evaluation of reentry strategies to preserve the safety of the community through the minimization of crimes, particularly those which are violent and serious. This presents an anti-crime strategy in a competition like manner. It is recognized as a best practice because it is widely adopted and allows communities to make use of a wide range of research strategies aimed at ensuring the safety of communities through reentry initiatives (Community Capacity Development Office, 2011). A completely different strategy was exhibited in the Building Lives Program, a best practice from Minnesota. The program offers employmentt and training services to reentry youth offenders. Through a partnership with Workforce Solutions, HIRED and Boys Totem Town-Ramsey County , Community Corrections, youth offenders, as well as at-risk youth to comport themselves as productive, responsible and law abiding citizens by efforts to reintegrate them back to society with skills and or employment which will deter them to going back to a life of crime to sustain their needs. Release plans and aftercare release plans were the other components of the initiative. It is considered a best practice because the program design allows it to be replicated in other localities with available technical assistance. It success may be traced from community involvement and buy-in (Minnesota Best Practices, 2007). Conclusion Crime is a universal problem. Where ever it is in the United States, or in other countries, law enforcement works hard to ensure the safety of the general populace. Some crime prevention efforts fail, and yet others succeed. What differentiates failed efforts and best practice would be a complex task to analyze. While there are no absolute solution to crime problems, an awareness of the antecedents of criminal behavior is always the first step in developing a crime prevention model. The “what works” discussion in the earlier part of this paper gathered a set elements which are characteristic of best practice models. It was observed that one or more of these elements are present in all the best practices featured in this paper. With this in mind, development of crime prevention programs in the future should integrate one or more of these elements and should commence with a clear understanding of the issues which instigate criminalistic behavior. More importantly, program formulators should bear in mind that any best practice program or project should be grounded on the concept that preventing crime necessitates that the focus be deviated away from the crime itself, as posited by experts from the J. McDonald Williams Institute (2007). References Cited Community Capacity Development Office (2011) CCDO Programs: Reentry. Retrieved April 28, 2011, from http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ccdo/programs/reentry.html Hanson, P.J. (2011) Alternatives to the failed DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) Program. Retrieved April 28, 2011, from http://www2.potsdam.edu/hansondj/ Controversies/20070111184521.html J. McDonald Williams Institute (2007).Crime prevention: a best practice approach. Retrieved April 28, 2011, from http://thewilliamsinstitute.com/Portals/10/ Wholeness/2007_Wholeness/Crime.BP.WP.final.pdf Lenoir, J. (2002). Using community resources in gun violence reduction initiatives. USA Bulletin, 50(1), 30-32. Miller, M.J. (Ed.). (2006). 21st century criminology: A reference handbook. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. Minnesota Best Practices (2007). Assisting youth offenders in re-entering the community. Retrieved Retrieved April 29, 2011, from http://www.positivelyminnesota.com/ Programs_Services/Youth_Services/Shared_Youth_VisionInter-Agency_Projects/ BestPracticesYouthOffendersreenetering.pdf. National Institute of Justice (2008) Operation Ceasefire. Retrieved April 28, 2011, from http://www.nij.gov/topics/crime/gun-violence/prevention/ceasefire.htm Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (2011). Deinstitutionalization of Status Offenders Best Practice Database. Retrieved April 28, 2011, from http://www2.dsgonline.com/dso2/dso_glossary.aspx Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability (2009). Department of Corrections should maximize use of best practice in inmates rehabilitation efforts. Retrieved April 29, 2011, from http://www.oppaga.state.fl.us/ MonitorDocs/Reports/pdf/0944rpt.pdf The Compiler (2008). Best-practices approach for judiciary: Centralized domestic violence courts. Retrieved April 29, 2011, from http://www.icjia.state.il.us/public /pdf/compiler/WinterSpring08CompilerVol25No2.pdf. Urban Women Against Substance Abuse (UWASA). (2002). Retrieved April 28, 2011, from http://casat.unr.edu/bestpractices/view.php?program=126 US Department of Justice (2001). Weed and Seed Best Practices, Issue 4. Rockville, MD: National Institute of Justice. Bibliography Coester, M & Marcs, E (2009). International perspectives of crime prevention 2: Contributions from the 2nd annual international forum 2008 within the German congress on crime prevention. Norderstedt: Books On Demand. Newton, M (2010). Crime fighting and crime prevention. New York: Infobase Publishing. United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (2010). Handbook on the crime prevention guidelines: Making them work. Vienna: United Nations. Walker, S. (2010). Sense and nonsense about crime, drugs, and communities: A policy guide (7th Edition). Belmont, CA: Thomson / Wadsworth. Ward, CS (2008). Community education and crime prevention. Westport, CT: Bergin & Garvey. Read More