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Date: April 30, 2024 Tue
Time: 3:39 am
Time: 3:39 am
Results for socio-economic conditions and crime
8 results foundAuthor: Chiaradia, Alain Title: Spatial Economics of Crime: Spatial Design Factors and the Total Social Cost of Crime Against Individuals and Property in London Summary: Combining two original pieces of research, the first on the spatial attributes of two types of crime and the second on the total social cost of the same crime, this paper proposes a methodology to evaluate the total socio-economic cost of spatial attributes related to robbery and burglary. Only recently have studies started to focus on particular types of crime, and extract their built environment characteristics. Most of these studies focus on burglary and robbery as it is the type of crime with the best record of location. Re-using the extensive amount of data from a case study area in London which demonstrates the link between street robbery and property burglary occurrences and spatial design factors, this paper sets out to evaluate burglary and robbery risk as a cost in spatial planning and design. Details: London: Space Syntax Limited, 2009. 14p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 28, 2011 at: http://www.sss7.org/Proceedings/08%20Spatial%20Configuration%20and%20Social%20Structures/017_Chiaradia_Hillier_Schwander.pdf Year: 2009 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.sss7.org/Proceedings/08%20Spatial%20Configuration%20and%20Social%20Structures/017_Chiaradia_Hillier_Schwander.pdf Shelf Number: 123167 Keywords: BurglaryEnvironmental CriminologyNeighborhoods and CrimeSocio-Economic Conditions and CrimeSpatial DesignStreet Robbery (London)Urban Design |
Author: Seekings, Jeremy Title: Socio-Economic Conditions, Young Men and Violence in Cape Town Summary: People in violent neighbourhoods attribute violence in public spaces to, especially, poverty and unemployment, but agree that social disintegration, disrespect, drinking and drugs and the weaknesses of the criminal justice system also contribute substantially. However, data from a panel of young men in Cape Town provide little support for the hypothesis that unemployment and poverty are direct causes of violence against strangers. Growing up in a home where someone drank heavily or took drugs is, however, a strong predictor of violence against strangers in early adulthood. A history of drinking (or taking drugs) correlates with perpetration of violence, and might also serve as a mechanism through which conditions during childhood have indirect effects. Living in a bad neighbourhood and immediate poverty are associated with violence against strangers, but being unemployed is not. Overall, heavy drinking – whether by adults in the childhood home or by young men themselves – seems to be a more important predictor of violence than economic circumstances in childhood or the recent past. Heavy drinking seems to play an important part in explaining why some young men have been more violent than others in circumstances that seem to have been generally conducive to rising violence, for reasons that remain unclear. It seems likely that few young people in South Africa in the early 2000s come from backgrounds that strongly predispose them against the use of violence. Details: Brighton, UK: MICROCON, University of Sussex, 2011. 33p. Source: Internet Resource: MICROCON Research Working Paper 49: Accessed December 4, 2012 at: http://www.microconflict.eu/publications/RWP49_JS_KT.pdf Year: 2011 Country: South Africa URL: http://www.microconflict.eu/publications/RWP49_JS_KT.pdf Shelf Number: 127121 Keywords: Alcohol AbusePovertySocio-Economic Conditions and CrimeUnemployment and CrimeUrban NeighborhoodsViolent Crime (Cape Town, South Africa)Youth Violence |
Author: Munyo, Ignacio Title: Youth Crime in Latin America: Key Determinants and Effective Public Policy Responses Summary: Juvenile delinquency is increasing in almost every country in Latin America - a region where citizen security is the main concern. Youth crime is at the forefront of regional social challenges: Scholars, activists and legislators are all debating both causes and potential solutions to this problem. This report tackles the causes of why an increasing number of youths in the region are engaging in criminal activities, by presenting evidence that this phenomenon could be driven by a change in the incentives to commit crime, rather than created as a result of a generation of youths who differ inherently from its predecessors. In order to do so, this report develops a new dynamic framework with which to analyze juvenile crime as a rational choice in which forward-looking youths decide between legal and criminal activities, and their skills are shaped by their past and present choices. In order to quantify the consequences of each decision, this analysis recognizes the effects of on-the-job training, on-the-crime training, the school of crime in correctional facilities and the social stigmatization of conviction. The report extracts lessons from the case of Uruguay, where substantial changes in juvenile crime incentives come hand in hand with an exponential growth in juvenile offending rates that have tripled over the last 15 years. According to the framework presented in this report, four factors can explain most of the spike in juvenile crime in Uruguay. First, an anemic recovery of wages relative to total income after the severe 2002 economic crisis - which lowered the return to legal activities relative to the financial rewards from crime - accounts for 35 percent of the observed variation. Second, the more lenient juvenile crime law passed in 2004 - which substantially reduced the expected punishment of youth offenders - explains another 30 percent of the increase. Third, the dramatic increase in the escape rate from juvenile correctional facilities - which further lowers expected punishment - accounts for 10 percent of the increase in juvenile crime. Finally, the outbreak of a paste cocaine epidemic - which reduces a youth's capacity to project the future - accounts for another 10 percent of the observed increase in juvenile crime between 1997 and 2010. In other words, a rational framework of behavior is able to explain the threefold increase in juvenile crime in Uruguay as the costs associated with criminal activity substantially decreased, and the gains from crime outgrew the rewards from legal activities. Details: Washington, DC: Brookings Global, Economic and Social Policy in Latin America Initiative, 2013. 26p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 11, 2014 at: http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/research/files/papers/2013/11/youth%20crime%20in%20latin%20america%20munyo/youth%20crime%20in%20latin%20america%20revised.pdf Year: 2013 Country: Uruguay URL: http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/research/files/papers/2013/11/youth%20crime%20in%20latin%20america%20munyo/youth%20crime%20in%20latin%20america%20revised.pdf Shelf Number: 131858 Keywords: Drugs and CrimeJuvenile DelinquencyJuvenile OffendersSocio-Economic Conditions and CrimeYouth Crime |
Author: Comack, Elizabeth Title: Summary: There is growing concern about the level of violence in Winnipeg's North End. The media regularly feature headline reports about gun violence, and street gang activity has become a focus of attention in the effort to "get tough on crime." Against this backdrop, the authors met with six members of a North End street gang, who wanted to convey their experiences of living in the North End, their thoughts on the recent events that have occurred there, and their insights into what it will take to make meaningful change. Too often the voices of such men are not heard. Yet they have an intimate knowledge of, and are an integral part of, these pressing problems. If meaningful change is to occur their voices need to be made part of the public discussion. These men had important things to say about 'getting tough on crime.' They agree that if they commit crimes, they have to do the time. But they are adamant that this strategy will not solve the problem of violence in the North End and broader inner city. We discussed several other options. Policing in the North End has recently been intensified to the point where "it’s like the military in the North End now" and anyone who "fits the description" is being targeted. This strategy, they explained, is likely to aggravate the problem, not solve it. Similarly, they offered reasons why other quick-fix solutions - a gun amnesty, a truce or ceasefire agreed to by street gangs, the Winnipeg Auto Theft Suppression Strategy applied to street gangs - will not work. The central viewpoint, expressed repeatedly over our two days of meetings, is that street gangs and gun violence are a product of the poverty and systemic racism of the North End, and all their consequences - addictions, violence, family disintegration, neglect, abuse. These men grew up in the midst of these conditions, and were exposed to the associated gang life from a very early age. As one told us, "When you're young, and see that, it's all normal." This is the soil in which street gangs and gun violence have grown. What emerged most strongly during our meeting was that these men do not want youngsters in the North End - "the next me" - to go through what they have gone through. Meaningful change will therefore require long term solutions aimed at addressing the poverty and systemic racism that are the root causes of street gangs and violence. Building pride and self-esteem through the provision of the right kinds of jobs and investing in more community recreation and drop-in centres for kids and families in the North End would be important steps in that direction. We know that this strategy will work because there are successful, small-scale examples— such as OPK and BUILD - now operating in Winnipeg's North End. If we want to change the violence in the 'hood, we would do well to heed the wise advice of these hard-headed men who know the 'hood all too well. We have to change the 'hood. Details: Winnipeg, MB: Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, 2009. 16p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 7, 2015 at: https://mbresearchalliance.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/3-opkfinal.pdf Year: 2009 Country: Canada URL: https://mbresearchalliance.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/3-opkfinal.pdf Shelf Number: 135174 Keywords: Gang-Related ViolenceGangs (Canada)Gun ViolenceSocio-Economic Conditions and Crime |
Author: Queensland. Parliament. Legal Affairs and Community Safety Committee Title: Inquiry on strategies to prevent and reduce criminal activity in Queensland Summary: Crime prevention as a strategy for governments is not a new concept. It has long been accepted that implementation of strategies or programs aimed at preventing the incidence of crime is one of the most effective ways of reducing the overall levels of crime. According to the National Crime Prevention Framework (prepared by the Australian Institute of Criminology (AIC) on behalf of the Australian and New Zealand Crime Prevention Senior Officers' Group), crime prevention includes: ...strategies and measures that seek to reduce the risk of crime occurring, and their potential harmful effects on individuals and society, including fear of crime, by intervening to influence their multiple causes. In addition to improving the general safety and security of individuals that comes with more general law enforcement efforts, crime prevention strategies can have a number of other benefits including: - reducing the long term costs associated with the criminal justice system; - reducing the direct costs of crime - both economic and social; - reducing the indirect costs of crime - by increased savings in areas such as welfare and health care payments; and - a general improvement in the quality of life of members in the community. 2.1 Approaches to Crime Prevention While the concept of crime prevention appears relatively simple at first glance, crime prevention is complex with a range of factors influencing which type of strategy or program to use for a particular problem at any given time. There are four generally accepted approaches to crime prevention, to which consideration should be given when looking at how to address particular problems. Criminal Justice approaches - which see the police and other law enforcement agencies carrying out their core business of enforcing the laws and offenders being held to account by progressing through the courts and correctional facilities. Social or developmental approaches - which focus primarily on 'early intervention' and targets areas to address the underlying social and economic causes of such crime. These types of approaches often focus on parenting programs and school based programs and aim to reduce the likelihood of young people entering the criminal justice system. Situational or environmental approaches - which look more at the physical environment in which crime occurs. These approaches aim to reduce opportunities for crime through better design, organisation and management of public places, and generally improving security measures for both homes and businesses. Community based approaches - which, as the name suggests, focus on neighbourhoods or suburbs where the community as a group develops initiatives that aim to strengthen the community spirit, encourage social interaction and reduce the incidence of crime through increased community engagement. A greater sense of community is aimed at changing the attitudes of would be offenders and involving them in community projects. Research has shown that no single approach is more beneficial than any other, with each having their place to address individual problems. What has also been shown, is that whatever the approach is that has been taken, to ensure its success - it must be well planned and coordinated, appropriately resourced and have the commitment of all those involved. Details: Brisbane: Queensland Parliament, 2014. 371p. Source: Internet Resource: Report No. 82: Accessed April 8, 2015 at: http://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/documents/committees/LACSC/2014/CrimeInquiry2014/rpt-082-28Nov2014.pdf Year: 2014 Country: Australia URL: http://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/documents/committees/LACSC/2014/CrimeInquiry2014/rpt-082-28Nov2014.pdf Shelf Number: 135192 Keywords: Community Crime PreventionCrime Prevention (Australia)Criminal Justice ProgramsSituational Crime PreventionSocio-Economic Conditions and Crime |
Author: Campaniello, Nadia Title: Women in crime: Over the last 50 years women have been increasing their participation in the labor market and in the crime market Summary: In recent decades, women's participation in the labor market has increased considerably in most countries and is converging toward the participation rate of men. Though on a lesser scale, a similar movement toward gender convergence seems to be occurring in the criminal world, though many more men than women still engage in criminal activity. Technological progress and social norms have freed women from the home, increasing their participation in both the labor market and the crime market. With crime no longer just men's business, it is important to investigate female criminal behavior to determine whether the policy prescriptions to reduce crime should differ for women. There is still a gender gap in the crime market, but the number of women committing crimes is on the rise, partly because other socio-economic gender gaps have been shrinking. Women have more freedom than in the past, and with that come more opportunities for crime. Despite increasing social equality, police and judicial systems still tend to be more lenient with female than with male offenders. Policies to reduce wage disparities between skilled and unskilled female workers, such as incentivizing female education, might reduce crime among disadvantaged women. Family support policies, by encouraging marriage and having children, might also reduce crime among women. Details: Bonn: IZA World of Labor, 2014. 10p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 24, 2015 at: http://wol.iza.org/articles/women-in-crime-1.pdf Year: 2014 Country: International URL: http://wol.iza.org/articles/women-in-crime-1.pdf Shelf Number: 135385 Keywords: Economics and CrimeFemale InmatesFemale OffendersFemale PrisonersSocio-economic Conditions and Crime |
Author: Irish Penal Reform Trust Title: The Vicious Circle of Social Exclusion and Crime: Ireland's Disproportionate Punishment of the Poor Summary: The purpose of this Position Paper is to emphasise the complex matrix between social exclusion and crime, in order to impress on policy makers that an effective response to crime must, at the front end, involve investment in early intervention to combat social and educational disadvantage to prevent vulnerable young people embarking on criminality in the first instance. At the back end - i.e. post imprisonment - appropriate measures should be put in place to reintegrate ex-prisoners back into society, including comprehensive assistance with housing and work or training, for the benefit of the individuals themselves, as well as the communities to which they are returning. Details: Dublin: IPRT, 2012. 28p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 10, 2016 at: http://www.iprt.ie/files/Position_Paper_FINAL.pdf Year: 2012 Country: Ireland URL: http://www.iprt.ie/files/Position_Paper_FINAL.pdf Shelf Number: 137835 Keywords: At-Risk YouthOffendersPovertyPrisoner ReentryPrisonersReintegrationSocial ExclusionSocio-economic Conditions and Crime |
Author: Capis, Salvatory Odhiambo Title: Socio-Economic Factors Contributing to Relapse of Reformed Convicts In Kenya: A Case of Vihiga District, Vihiga County Summary: Incidences of repeat offending have remained elusive amidst major efforts in transforming the societies for betterment. Correctional institutions have tried all that could be done to address notable negative behavioral characters but little remains to be observed. According to the Kenya Prison Reform Centre (KPRC), nearly two thirds of prisoners in Kenya re-offend within two years of release. However, factors that compel reformed convicts to relapse even after leaving prisons are not well understood. This study therefore examined the socio-economic factors that contribute to the relapse of reformed convicts in Kenya, with a specific view of Vihiga district. The study examined the following specific objectives: investigated how unemployment has contributed to the relapse of the reformed convicts within Vihiga District, examined Education as a factor in the relapse of reformed offenders within Vihiga District, analyzed the effects of drug abuse and how it has encouraged the relapsing of the reformed convicts within Vihiga District and assessed the attitudes of the community towards the reformed convicts and its effects in their relapse within Vihiga District. The study was guided by labeling theory to help understand how labels shape human behavior. The study area was Central Maragolli location of the Vihiga district. The total population of reformed convicts in the location was unknown due to the sensitivity of the attribute under study. The reformed convicts were therefore sampled through snowballing until saturation levels were reached. Simple random sampling was also done on Central Maragoli's house hold population of 5310 and a sample of 372 drawn based on Glen Israel's formula of determining sample size. The 372 households were targeted for a community survey. For the Ex-convicts, purposive sampling technique was utilized. 12 in-depth interviews were carried out with ex-convicts. The data collected was analyzed both quantitatively as well as qualitatively. The study findings pointed out that unemployment as a component of socio-economic factor contributed greatly to the relapse of the reformed convicts; with discrimination of the convicts leading the pack at 96.3%, suspicions rate at 83.9%, lack of locally viable skills at 83.9%, low educational levels and unmet ambitions at 64.9%. Educational level as a component of socio-economic factor contributed to the relapse of the reformed convicts with over 90% of those who recidivate being at primary levels while the number diminishes as one climbs higher levels in education. None was found to have relapsed at the University level of education. Drug abuse and addiction among the reformed convicts was also established to have contributed at 92.5% of the relapsed cases of the reformed convicts. Low and negative community attitude with heightened suspicions among the community members were among key factors that greatly contribute to the relapse of the reformed convicts. They have destroyed societal fibers meant to keep communities knit together. The study therefore concluded and recommended that; early identification and nurturing of local talents and individual initiatives be enhanced to reduce the future life explosion in the unemployment phenomenon. Programs that offer bursaries and other educational support as well as prevailing upon local leadership to initiate institutions of higher learning within the District to be enhanced in order to improve education standards. There is an argent need to domesticate and effectively implement the existing policy on drug use and abuse within the District. The already locally existing programs be effectively involved in transforming the negative community attitude toward the reformed convicts which increases their chances of relapsing after rehabilitation. Amongst others, the study proposed further research on challenges facing the Rehabilitation Programs on Offenders management within the community. Details: Nairobi: University of Nairobi, 2012. 114p. Source: Internet Resource: Thesis: Accessed May 24, 2017 at: http://erepository.uonbi.ac.ke/bitstream/handle/11295/56127/Capis_Socio-economic%20Factors%20Contributing%20To%20RelapseOf%20Reformed%20Convicts.pdf?sequence=3&isAllowed=y Year: 2012 Country: Kenya URL: http://erepository.uonbi.ac.ke/bitstream/handle/11295/56127/Capis_Socio-economic%20Factors%20Contributing%20To%20RelapseOf%20Reformed%20Convicts.pdf?sequence=3&isAllowed=y Shelf Number: 145764 Keywords: Drug Abuse and CrimeEconomics and CrimeRecidivismRepeat OffendingSocio-economic Conditions and Crime |