FINAL EXAM PT. 2 Flashcards
What is an evidence-based approach and why is it important in crime prevention?
Policy and practice are support by empirical evidence. This begins in healthcare. Evidence based-approaches spread from medicine to education, the social service sector, the social sciences and to government policy.
It is important in crime prevention due to things such as cost-benefit analysis and reducing risk factors and promoting protective factors within the target group.
Goal: base important programming and policy decisions on sound research and information.
What I have learned from doing my own report
As the nature of scientific conclusions changes based on updated research, it is important to continually research and test our evidence-based programs. Are the same benefits and outcomes being delivered to the target group? Not only should basic outcomes but long-term outcomes. For example, the SNAP program’s long-term outcomes were ultimately to keep kids from offending and out of the criminal justice system. In the median outcomes, children should have more pro-social behavior, possess more self-control and be able to emotionally regulate themselves.
Why was Robert Peel important?
He established the first organized police force. Organizational structure based on a military format that prevails today.
- police are powerless w/o the approval, cooperation, respect, and support of the public
- police are merely citizens empowered by hte people, they are accountable to the public and need to secure and maintain their respect.
- preventing crime and disorder is better than repressing it by military force.
Police are to seek and preserve public favor by:
- demonstrating absolutely impartial service.
- by readily offering individual service and friendship to all members of the public regardless of wealth or standing
- and by readily offfering of sacrifice in protecting and preserving life.
Peel’s 9 principles (in my own words)
- The role of the police is to prevent crime and disorder as opposed to responding with military force to crime.
- The public’s approval of the police is essential as well as the ability of the police to maintain respect.
- The police must adhere to the law in all circumstances and be unwavering in their duties, maintaining impartiality and avoiding temptation to deviate from procedure; to retain the public’s respect.
- The police must realise that the more they are able to secure the public’s cooperation, the less physical force will need to be used.
- The police will seek and preserve public favour, not by catering to public opinion, but by adhering impartially to the law. The same level of courtesy and respect should be extended to all members of the public, regardless of social or economic status.
- Police will only use physical force, in carrying out their duties, after they have provided sufficient warning, advice and persuasion but failed to gain cooperation.
- Police officers should always maintain a relationship with the public that supports Peel’s statement ‘the police are the public, and the public are the police.’ When carrying out their duties, it is important that they remember that they are also citizens, given the honour of defending others around them.
- The actions of officers should always be directed towards their function, and the powers of the judiciary should never be usurped. Cannot determine someone guilty or not.
- The effectiveness of the police force is measured by the absence of criminal conduct and disorder, not the visibility of the police dealing with it.
Peel’s principles are important because
It is primarily what has, or should, inform our policing practices today. Community policing returns to some of the values of Robert Peel, focusing on police and community working together to identify and prioritize law enforcement needs, and to solve problems of local crime and disorder.
Explain how and why people become victims of crimes.
The background of a victim contributes to victimization i.e. frail, defenseless, being intoxicated, disabled. Also, a lack of defensive measures, such as unlocked doors, making unwise choices (walking alone in dangerous neighborhood). Early victimologists blamed the victim.
Explain lifestyle exposure theory
- how people live can increase opportunities to be victimized
- routine, predictable activities
- working late nights in dangerous areas, leaving valuables in one’s car, leaving valuables outside one’s property
- motivated offender, suitable target, lack of capable guardian increases potential for victimizing someone
Deviant Places Theory
- Crime occurs more often in socially disorganized areas and people are victimized when they live, visit, or transit through these areas
- Stigmatized neighbourhoods: with bad reputation, people live elsewhere if they can afford to, marginalized, poor people may have to live there, thereby increasing their risk of victimization
Name some of the harsh realities of victimization
Psychological impacts: fear, trauma, self-doubt, anger, changed perception of the world and others, social isolation, mental health concerns (depression, anxiety, PTSD, etc)
Processing the event: guilt, self-blame, rumination, “if only”
Physical: sleep disorders, sexual dysfunction, jumpiness, flashbacks
Behavioural: changes in patterns, disruption of normal behaviours to new behaviours
List the needs of victims
- Name/acknowledge the crime
- Stop the crime
- Tell the story, and express the emotions
- Validate what the victim feels and experiences
- Research the incident (get questions answered, fill in missing info)
- Prevent the crime from happening again
- Find the blame: Who is responsible?
- Uncover/explore victim’s sense of guilt or responsibility
- Fix the harm (compensation, restitution)
- Restore relationships, resolve relationship with offender if possible
- Find meaning in the event
- Placing memory: move event from the present to the past
- Find perspective: creating context for the event within the rest of one’s life
- Letting go: being able to move on
- Looking ahead: filling the void
Explain some of the philosophy and values behind restorative justice
RJ is a way of viewing justice that puts the emphasis on repairing harm caused by conflict and crime. In this approach, crime is understood as a violation of people and relationships.
Underlying values are based on respect for the dignity of everyone affected by the crime.
Goal: to build understanding, to encourage accountability and to provide an opportunity for healing.
The traditional view of justice
In the traditional criminal justice system:
- crime is a violation of the law and the state
- violations create guilt
- justice requires the State to determine blame/guilt and impose pain (punishment)
The central focus is offenders getting what they deserve. Victims have a limited role in the outcome of this porcess.
Restorative justice
It is based upon an old common-sense understanding of wrongdoing:
- crime is a violation of people and relationships (social harms)
- violations create obligations
- those harmed should have a say in how the matter is resolved
- justice involves victims, offenders, and community members in an effort to put it right
Five principles of restorative justice
- invite full participation and consensus: free, not forced.
- Heal what has been broken: focus on harm done, not the law that was broken. Making reparation.
- Seek full and direct accountability: those affected need an explanation of the offender’s behavior and motivation, as well as action to repair the harm done.
- Reunite what has been divided: reintegrate offender and community.
- Strengthen the community, to prevent further harms: address underlying causal factors and establish new norms of participation, dialogue, involvement and responsibility
