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Date: November 22, 2024 Fri
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Results for urban crime
54 results foundAuthor: McCarry, Melanie Title: Violence Against Women in Rural and Urban Areas Summary: This report compares and contrasts violence against women in rural and urban settings. Details: Bristol, UK: University of Bristol, 2009 Source: National Federation of Women's Institutes Year: 2009 Country: United Kingdom URL: Shelf Number: 117297 Keywords: Rural CrimeUrban CrimeViolence Against Women |
Author: Amnesty International Title: Public Security Reforms and Human Rights in Jamaica Summary: People in Jamaica's inner cities have for decades been caught between the reign of fear exercised by criminal gangs - responsible for the overwhelming majority of crime in the country - and violent policing. Police killed more people between January and May 2009 than during the same period in 2008. This bucks the trend - so far, 2009 has seen a fall in the total number of murders compared with 2008. It is widely accepted that only by addressing the root causes of the public security crisis - deprivation and exclusion in the inner cities - can there be a durable solution. Far-reaching reforms to the police and the justice system have begun. Steps have been taken to tackle corruption, and a safety and security policy is being drafted to address security and development at community level. As this report shows, these reforms have now reached a critical stage. With political will and commitment, they can help drive forward the changes needed to tackle entrenched human rights problems in the inner cities. Details: London: Amnesty International Publications, 2009 Source: Year: 2009 Country: Jamaica URL: Shelf Number: 115636 Keywords: GangsPolice BehaviorUrban Crime |
Author: Muggah, Robert, ed. Title: Urban Violence in an Urban Village: A Case Study of Dili, Timor-Leste Summary: Drawing on a randomized household survey, focus group interviews, and an extensive literature review undertaken between June and December 2009, this study considers the structural and proximate factors shaping urban violence in Dili. These include the presence of informal security actors, erstwhile internally displaced persons (IDPs), permanent and seasonal population movements, land and property disputes, and persistent and glaring socioeconomic inequalities. The report also focuses on the objective symptoms of urban violence, including (the comparatively low) homicide rates, the relatively high rates of robbery, the high prevalence of sexual and domestic violence, the relationship between alcohol consumption and the onset of violence, the seemingly ambiguous and distrustful attitudes towards formal security providers, and the interconnections between systemic unemployment and protracted violence. In terms of subjective experiences of urban violence, the study finds that most residents describe their neighbourhoods as generally free from violence, their communities as safer than surrounding communities, the security of their neighbourhoods as adequate, and their neighbours as willing to look out for one another. The tendency towards increased transience and anonymity, owing in part to an exploding population and urbanization, may threaten these social networks of reciprocity. The study finds that urban violence in Dili can often shift from collective to interpersonal forms in dramatic fashion. Owing to the weak state of crime and health surveillance and the fact that most minor incidents are dealt with through customary means, if at all, it is difficult for international and domestic authorities to anticipate the onset of acute forms of urban violence. While recognizing a comparatively low incidence of overall violent victimization in Dili since 2007, the study observes that muscular coercive and security-led interventions seeking to deter urban violence are more commonly pursued by the government than informal, voluntary approaches that seek to prevent and reduce victimization in the long term. Details: Geneva: Geneva Declaration Secretariat, 2010. 80p. Source: Internet Resource: Working Paper: Accessed October 21, 2010 at: http://www.genevadeclaration.org/fileadmin/docs/regional-publications/Urban_Violence_Dili.pdf Year: 2010 Country: Asia URL: http://www.genevadeclaration.org/fileadmin/docs/regional-publications/Urban_Violence_Dili.pdf Shelf Number: 120050 Keywords: Socioeconomic StatusUrban CrimeUrban ViolenceVictimization |
Author: Gaviria, Alejandro Title: Assessing the Link Between Adolescent Fertility and Urban Crime Summary: We use data of neighborhoods of Bogotá to assess the causal relation between their adolescent fertility and their homicide rates. We find that neighborhoods with high adolescent fertility rates, and that have low secondary enrollment and high crime rates at the moment the children of their teen mothers become teenagers, are more likely to have higher homicide rates in the future, when those children reach their peak crime ages, estimated to be between 18 to 26 years old in violent cities of Colombia. We did not find evidence of a positive effect on crime when the adolescent fertility rates are either isolated, or only coupled with low school enrollment, or high crime rates. We also find that increases in the secondary school enrollment always reduce the homicide rate. The results are robust to various specifications, including measurement error corrections, and the modeling of the spatial autocorrelation of homicides. Details: Bogota, Colombia: Borradores de Economica, 2010. 56p. Source: Internet Resource: Working Paper No. 594: Accessed February 9, 2011 at: http://www.banrep.gov.co/docum/ftp/borra594.pdf Year: 2010 Country: Colombia URL: http://www.banrep.gov.co/docum/ftp/borra594.pdf Shelf Number: 120733 Keywords: Crime RatesEconomics and CrimeHomicides (Bogota, Colombia)Urban Crime |
Author: World Bank. Social Development Department. Conflict, Crime Title: Violence in the City: Understanding and Supporting Community Responses to Urban Violence Summary: For millions of people around the world, violence, or the fear of violence, is a daily reality. Much of this violence concentrates in urban centers in the developing world. These cities are home to half of the world’s population and are expected to absorb almost all new population growth over the next 25 years. In many cases, the scale of urban violence can eclipse that of open warfare. Some of the world’s highest homicide rates occur in countries that have not undergone wars but have violence epidemics in their urban areas. As one example, between 1978 and 2000, more people (49,913) were killed by violence in the slums of Rio de Janeiro than in all of Colombia (39,000), a country experiencing civil conflict. Concern over these experiences has made urban violence a central preoccupation of policymakers, planners, and development practitioners. This study emerged from a growing recognition that urban communities themselves are an integral part of understanding the causes and impacts of urban violence and for generating sustainable violence prevention initiatives. Participatory appraisals in Latin America and the Caribbean have produced important insights into the manifestations of violence in different contexts. Nevertheless, much still is to be learned in understanding the myriad strategies that communities employ to manage high levels of violence. Coping mechanisms may range broadly from individual strategies, such as changing one’s work or study routine to avoid victimization, to collective strategies that involve formal institutions such as community-based policing, to reliance on traditional or alternative dispute fora. Some coping mechanisms—such as forming extralegal security groups — can be negative and undermine the bases for long-term violence prevention. This study aims to understand how urban residents cope with violence, or the threat of it, in their everyday lives, to inform the design of policies and programs for violence prevention. The study is the first global study on urban violence undertaken by the World Bank and covers three regions. It emerged from the growing demand within the Bank and client governments for a more comprehensive understanding of the social dimensions of urban violence. The study is not an exhaustive review of the topic, but rather is an exploration of the social drivers of violence, and its impact on social relations. The work has been guided by five objectives: Introduce the social dimensions of urban violence and review existing lessons for supporting community capacities to prevent violence. 2. Analyze from the community perspective the experience of violence in five urban areas, including the different forms of violence found there, their prevalence, impacts on different groups, and communities’ perceptions of the driving factors behind the violence. 3. Provide insights into community responses to high levels of violence, including individual and collective help-seeking behavior, and reliance on different informal and formal institutions to deal with and prevent violence. 4. Drawing on these insights, provide orientations to policymakers, especially mayors and municipal authorities, to inform successful violence-prevention interventions. 5. Suggest ways that the World Bank could be more involved in addressing the social dimensions of violence. Details: Washington, DC: The World Bank, 2010. 346p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 6, 2011 at: http://siteresources.worldbank.org/EXTSOCIALDEVELOPMENT/Resources/244362-1164107274725/Violence_in_the_City.pdf Year: 2010 Country: International URL: http://siteresources.worldbank.org/EXTSOCIALDEVELOPMENT/Resources/244362-1164107274725/Violence_in_the_City.pdf Shelf Number: 121251 Keywords: HomicidesUrban CrimeViolenceViolent Crime (Brazil, Haiti, South Africa, Kenya, |
Author: Llorente, Maria Victoria Title: Case Study: Reduction of Crime in Bogota: A Decade of Citizen's Security Policies Summary: The reduction of crime and, above all, of homicide in the city of Bogotá over the last decade represents an exemplary experience, not only due to the magnitude of the drop in the city’s crime rates, but also due to the novelty of the discourse and management of security-related issues on the part of the municipal administration. The Bogota case illustrates the development of a citizens’ security policy in which strategies of different characters are applied, such as the control of risk factors like alcohol consumption and firearm possession, the strengthening of the city’s policing capacity, initiatives related to cultural changes that would tend to increase respect for life and for the self-regulation of citizens’ behavior, interventions in deteriorated urban spaces etc. This combination of strategies and their results in terms of reducing crime and the feeling of insecurity in the city turn this experience into a good example of the various possibilities that exist to deal with the phenomena of urban criminality and of violence in particular. This case also allows one to consider the effectiveness of some interventions, as well as the process of evaluating the results of the policies implemented. This document explains the development of this experience from the mid-1990s. The first part presents how the city’s main social and security indicators evolved over the course of the period in question. The second and third parts outline the security and coexistence policies adopted during the administrations of the last three mayors, considering in particular the hypotheses that inspired them and their approach, the main measures put in place and the costs incurred by the municipal administration to implement them. Finally, the fourth part looks at the impact of these policies, as well as the practical lessons that may be extracted from them with regards to the planning of public policies for crime and violence prevention and to the evaluation of results. Details: Washington, DC: World Bank, Water, Disaster Management, and Urgan Development Group - Latin America and Caribbean Region, 2005. 35p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 8, 2011 at: http://siteresources.worldbank.org/EXTLACREGTOPURBDEV/Resources/841042-1219076931513/5301922-1250717140763/Bogota.pdf Year: 2005 Country: Colombia URL: http://siteresources.worldbank.org/EXTLACREGTOPURBDEV/Resources/841042-1219076931513/5301922-1250717140763/Bogota.pdf Shelf Number: 121284 Keywords: Crime Prevention PartnershipsCrime Rates (Bogota, Colombia)HomicideUrban CrimeViolent Crime |
Author: Kirk, David S. Title: The Structural and Cultural Dynamics of Neighborhood Violence Summary: Over the past two decades, sociologists have given considerable attention to identifying the neighborhood-level structural and social-interactional mechanisms which influence an array of social outcomes such as crime, educational attainment, collective action, mortality, and morbidity. Yet, cultural mechanisms are often overlooked in quantitative studies of neighborhood effects, largely because of outdated notions of culture. This study aims to inject a much needed cultural dimension into neighborhood effects research, and, in the process, provide an explanation for the paradoxical co-existence of law-abiding beliefs and law violating behavior that characterize so many disadvantaged urban neighborhoods. To these ends, we explore the origins of legal cynicism as well as the consequences of cynicism for neighborhood violence. Legal cynicism refers to a cultural frame in which people perceive the law, and the police in particular, as illegitimate, unresponsive, and ill-equipped to ensure public safety. We address four empirical objectives in the study. First, we examine the correlates of legal cynicism. Second, we examine the cross-sectional relationship between neighborhood violence and legal cynicism as well as the relationship between neighborhood violence and tolerant attitudes toward violence and deviant behavior. Third, we seek to determine if legal cynicism predicts the change in neighborhood violence over time, net of changes to the structural conditions of a given neighborhood. Fourth, in order to determine if legal cynicism makes all types of violence more likely or remained stable (and even increased) in some Chicago neighborhoods during the 1990s despite declines in poverty and drastic declines in violence city-wide. Our findings—of total, gang, and non-gang homicides—also indicate that cynicism of the law has a general effect on violence, and that collective efficacy substantially mediates the association between legal cynicism and homicide. Legal cynicism undermines the collective efficacy that is so vital to the social control of neighborhood violence. The most important policy implication of this research is that improving structural and economic conditions of impoverished neighborhoods or increasing deterrence-based policing efforts alone may not be sufficient for reducing crime. Rather, our results suggest that crime reduction efforts should explicitly incorporate approaches that decrease cynicism of the law. Details: Final Report to the U.S. National Institute of Justice, 2011. 91p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 27, 2011 at: http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/234629.pdf Year: 2011 Country: United States URL: http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/234629.pdf Shelf Number: 121839 Keywords: GangsLegal CynicismNeighborhoods and Crime (U.S.)Urban CrimeViolent Crime |
Author: Kneebone, Elizabeth Title: City and Suburban Crime Trends in Metropolitan America Summary: The impact of crime on general well-being is profound. Those most directly impacted are the victims of crime. By one estimate, the combination of direct monetary losses and the costs of pain and suffering among crime victims in the U.S. amounts to nearly 6 percent of gross domestic product. Beyond these direct costs are substantial indirect costs associated with reducing the threat of crime. In 2006, federal, state, and local government criminal justice expenditures amounted to $214 billion. Many households pay significant premiums, either in terms of housing prices or commute costs, to live in neighborhoods with lower probabilities of victimization. Many also purchase security devices and insurance to minimize the likelihood and costs of being criminally victimized. Moreover, fear of crime often impacts the most mundane personal decisions, such as whether to walk down a given street or through a particular neighborhood, whether to let one’s children play outside, or whether to leave one’s home after dark. While all communities are affected by crime and the criminal justice system, residents in large urban areas are particularly impacted. Moreover, within large metropolitan areas, the residents of poor, largely minority neighborhoods suffer disproportionately. Crime rates are generally higher in more urbanized areas and the young, male, and minority residents of the nation’s central cities contribute disproportionately to the growing prison population. Yet, in recent decades, U.S. crime rates have fallen sharply. By 2008 the sexual assault rate stood at only 23 percent of its peak value in 1991, while robbery, aggravated assault, and simple assault had fallen to 37, 33, and 42 percent of their 1991 levels, respectively. Similarly, homicide rates dropped from 10.5 per 100,000 in 1991 to 6.2 per 100,000 by 2006. Between 1991 and 2008 the number of burglaries per 1,000 households declined by 59 percent, while rates of theft and motor vehicle theft dropped by 62 and 70 percent, respectively. Though much has been written about the precipitous declines in crime since the 1990s, less is known about trends within the nation’s big cities and suburbs. Two-thirds of the nation’s population lives in the 100 largest metropolitan areas, but crime levels vary greatly across — and even within — these regions. To what extent have decreases in crime been shared across these communities? Moreover, crime fell over a period that coincided with considerable changes in the makeup and distribution of the country’s metropolitan population. Do those changes help explain the steep declines in community-level crime? In this paper, we explore these questions by analyzing crime data compiled by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and data from the U.S. Census Bureau to provide a geographically-focused assessment of how crime rates have changed between 1990 and 2008. Specifically, we analyze data for the roughly 5,400 communities located within the 100 largest U.S. metropolitan areas. We estimate changes in metropolitan crime, as well as city and suburban trends within these regions. We then consider the relationship between community-level demographic characteristics and crime, and analyze how those relationships may have changed over time. Details: Wsahington, DC: Brookings Institute, 2011. 23p. Source: Internet Resource: Metropolitan Opportunity Series: Accessed July 12, 2011 at: http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/Files/rc/papers/2011/0526_metropolitan_crime_kneebone_raphael/0526_metropolitan_crime_kneebone_raphael.pdf Year: 2011 Country: United States URL: http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/Files/rc/papers/2011/0526_metropolitan_crime_kneebone_raphael/0526_metropolitan_crime_kneebone_raphael.pdf Shelf Number: 122028 Keywords: Crime RatesCrime StatisticsCrime Trends (U.S.)Neighborhoods and CrimeSuburban CrimeUrban Crime |
Author: Arias, Enrique Desmond Title: Introductory Handbook on Policing Urban Space Summary: Over the past 20 years, Governments and civic actors have focused substantially on the question of crime and urban law enforcement efforts. It has come to be recognized that crime is unevenly distributed throughout the world. In certain countries, such as Guatemala, the homicide rate is higher than 30 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants, whereas in many other countries, including in Western Europe or South- East Asia, it is more than 10 times lower. Important disparities are also observed between and within regions: in Africa, Egypt, Mauritius and Morocco have homicide rates that are lower than 3 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants, far lower than those in South Africa. Discrepancies can also be significant within the same country. In Colombia, for example, the city of Tunja (population 150,000) has a rate of 7 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants, compared with 128 per 100,000 inhabitants in the city of San José del Guaviare (population 50,000). Finally, within the same city, homicide rates can vary significantly from one neighbourhood to another. In Rio de Janeiro, for example, rates vary from 2 to 12 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants, depending on the neighbourhood. A recent statistical report of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) shows stable or decreasing global homicide trends over the period 2003-2008 for the majority of countries for which data is available in the Americas, Asia, Europe and Oceania. Exceptions to the trend include a number of Caribbean and Central and South American countries, including Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica and Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of), which show significant increases in homicide rates. Research suggests that this may be due, in part, to increases in transnational organized crime, illicit drug trafficking and gang activity. In addition, a slight increase was seen between 2007 and 2008 in a few countries in Europe, demonstrating a need for continued vigilance and effective crime prevention action. Unfortunately, data for a number of countries in Africa and in parts of Asia are not robust enough to provide a clear picture for a useful analysis. Intentional homicide (the intentional killing of one person by another) is one of the most serious forms of crime and a key indicator of violent crime levels in a given country or region. intelligence-led policing, situational crime prevention, the “broken windows” theory and the strategy on crime prevention through environmental design. It also addresses broader principles of managing urban space to control crime and strategies for evaluating crime control programmes. The Handbook includes references to efforts to control crime in an array of countries, including Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, El Salvador, India, Jamaica, Kenya, Mexico, South Africa, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United States of America. The overall objective of the Handbook is therefore to outline the new, innovative techniques and to explain how they have been applied to address crime problems in low- and middle-income countries. The various programmes, policies and approaches described here can provide law enforcement policymakers, front-line officers, urban planners and other city authorities as well as civil society organizations with basic information about an array of strategies and good governance practices to control crime in rapidly growing cities in low- and middle-income countries. Details: New York: United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, 2011. 118p. Source: Internet Resource: Criminal Justice Handbook Series: Accessed August 24, 2011 at: http://www.unodc.org/documents/justice-and-prison-reform/crimeprevention/11-80387_ebook.pdf Year: 2011 Country: International URL: http://www.unodc.org/documents/justice-and-prison-reform/crimeprevention/11-80387_ebook.pdf Shelf Number: 122479 Keywords: Crime PreventionCrime RatesHomicidesLaw EnforcementPolicingUrban Crime |
Author: Northern Illinois University. Center for Governmental Studies Title: Dubuque 2010 Study on Crime and Poverty Summary Report Summary: This study was designed to compare community perceptions of crime in Dubuque to actual crime data. The study included: 1) a public opinion survey 2) an analysis of Dubuque’s crime rates and trends over time compared to similarly sized communities in Iowa; 3) an analysis of Dubuque’s crime incidents over time, and the extent to which Section 8 housing recipients are connected to crime; 4) a review of research studies related to poverty, Section 8 housing assistance, crime, fear of crime, and crime prevention; and 5) a set of recommendations based on the research and evidence. To explore these issues, the following general research questions were posed: Do the perceptions of criminal activity and its causes in Dubuque match what is actually happening? Within categories of crime with significant increases in arrests, what policies or strategies can effectively decrease crime? If there are cases where there are community perceptions of increased criminal activity but no evidence to support the perception, what policies or strategies can effectively address the concerns? The resulting study report is complex and the authors warn throughout of various limitations with the data and analysis. NIU also states that readers are “strongly cautioned to not take singular statements, findings, maps or graphs contained in the report and examine or present them as a stand-alone finding. Rather, the analysis and report must be viewed in the full context and breadth of the examination, the totality of the findings and the broader social factors that underlie the phenomenon under study. Details: Dubuque, IA: Northen Illinois University, Center for Government Studies, 2011. 779p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 15, 2011 at: http://www.cityofdubuque.org/DocumentView.aspx?DID=2742 Year: 2011 Country: United States URL: http://www.cityofdubuque.org/DocumentView.aspx?DID=2742 Shelf Number: 122734 Keywords: Crime and Social DisorganizationCrime DisplacementCrime Statistics (Dubuque, Iowa)HousingPovertyUrban Crime |
Author: Taylor, Alice Title: Women and the City: Examining the Gender Impact of Violence and Urbanisation. A Comparative Study of Brazil, Cambodia, Ethiopia, Liberia and Nepal Summary: Utilising the participatory methodology of safety audits developed and tested by a range of organisations in the “safe cities movement”, the report looks into the lives of groups of women whose knowledge and views of their urban realities is central to creating safer cities. These include garment workers from urban factory areas in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, women attending universities in and around Monrovia in Liberia, and women informal vendors in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to name a few. The research explores the ways violence and insecurity limit poor urban women’s mobility and their participation in society. Urbanisation can bring new opportunities, particularly in relation to employment and participation in organised groups. However, it also brings many challenges. Across the world, women experience violence or the fear of violence on a daily basis, travelling to and from work, taking their children to schools and travelling to and from markets. Moreover, urban men and women experience violence differently. They also experience and perceive protection and safety differently. Analysing these differences is a central first step to guaranteeing women’s rights to freedom from violence or the threat of violence in urban areas. From an urban planning perspective, cities often struggle to maintain services and infrastructure that adequately meet the needs and are within reach of their growing populations. Specific barriers are experienced by the poor and particularly by poor women. In this research, the challenges faced by women often reflect the safety and health consequences that some migrants face in the process of rural to urban migration, such as lack of access to decent work opportunities, poor access to services and inadequate transportation. However, only too often, the challenges faced by women in cities are interpreted or excused as women’s fault, rather than the result of urban design that fails to take into account gendered impacts. For example, such violence may be excused on the basis of a woman’s choice of dress or her decision to travel alone, at night, unaccompanied by a male. Examining the gender impacts of urbanisation is central to informing programmes and policies that reflect women’s realities and promote women’s right to the city. Details: Johannesburg, South Africa: ActionAid, 2011. 80p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed January 13, 2012 at: http://www.actionaid.org/publications/women-and-city-examining-gender-impact-violence-and-urbanisation Year: 2011 Country: International URL: http://www.actionaid.org/publications/women-and-city-examining-gender-impact-violence-and-urbanisation Shelf Number: 123613 Keywords: Fear of CrimeFemale VictimsUrban CrimeUrban DesignViolence Against WomenViolent Crime |
Author: Morris, Patrice K. Title: An Analysis of Homicide in Urban Jamaica Summary: This dissertation investigates the social structural factors associated with differential levels of homicide across neighborhoods in urban Jamaica, a Caribbean country with exceptionally high levels of homicide offending and victimization. It fills a void as most of the literature in homicide studies, and most research has been conducted in advanced industrialized countries, and very little in developing countries. Using homicide, census, and electoral data, this dissertation identifies the structural correlates of homicide in the Kingston Metropolitan Area. This dissertation further explores the applicability of two leading neighborhood-level theoretical models--social disorganization and defended neighborhood perspectives--in the Jamaican social context. Results suggest that political civic engagement and poverty are most salient in explaining homicides in urban Jamaica. Homicides are more likely in politically organized neighborhoods with high levels of informal social control and social cohesion. Unlike studies in the United States, this study finds that homicide in urban Jamaica is not related to neighborhood social disorganization. The dissertation concludes with the theoretical implications of the findings, policy suggestions, and directions for future research. Details: Newark, NJ: Rutgers University, School of Criminal Justice, 2010. 154p. Source: Resource: Dissertation: Available from the Don M. Gottfredson Library, Rutgers University Year: 2010 Country: Jamaica URL: Shelf Number: 117377 Keywords: Homicide (Jamaica)Urban CrimeViolent Crime |
Author: Speir, John C. Title: Georgia Urban and Rural Arrest and Incarceration Rates: Examining Racial Patterns Summary: Georgia has witnessed a dramatic increase in its prison incarceration rate over the past fifteen years. Our last report (April 1, 2000), examined trends in crime, arrest and prison incarceration rates and highlighted dramatically different patterns in all three between urban and rural Georgia. These patterns raise questions about criminal justice system processing of whites and African-Americans residing in urban and rural counties. The purpose of this Special Research Report is to examine racial differences in Georgia's arrest and prison incarceration trends. The timing of this discussion is of particular importance as Georgia considers the establishment of statewide uniform and consistent responses to crime. Details: Atlanta, GA: Applied Research Services, 2000. 7p. Source: Special Research Report: Internet Resource: Accessed February 19, 2012 at http://ars-corp.com/_view/PDF_Files/GeorgiaUrban_RuralArrest_IncarcerateRates2000.pdf Year: 2000 Country: United States URL: http://ars-corp.com/_view/PDF_Files/GeorgiaUrban_RuralArrest_IncarcerateRates2000.pdf Shelf Number: 124195 Keywords: Arrest Rates (Georgia)Incarceration RatesRacial DisparitiesRural CrimeUrban Crime |
Author: Hardy, Jeff Title: Understanding Crime in Urban and Rural Areas Summary: The Rural and Urban Area Classification 2004 provides a method of identifying issues specific to rural areas. The classification defines each census output area as urban, town and fringe, village or hamlet and isolated dwelling. Using this classification in conjunction with recorded crime data, arson data, the Leicester Shire Business Survey and Leicestershire County Council’s Citizens’ Panel enables a comparison of crime issues between the urban and rural areas of Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland. Between 2002/03 and 2004/05 the total number of offences recorded by the police in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland had decreased. The largest percentage decrease was in the hamlet and isolated dwelling areas. The only increase in recorded offences was within the urban areas of Leicestershire County. The recorded offence rate per 1,000 resident population shows the likelihood of being a victim of crime in the most rural areas of Leicestershire and Rutland to be virtually the same as in the urban areas of the county (excluding Leicester City). Three-quarters of the population of Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland live in urban areas, concentrated in a relatively small geographical area. More than three-quarters of offences recorded by Leicestershire Constabulary occur within these urban areas of the city and county. The report highlights that even though the volume of recorded offences is much higher in urban areas there are some clear differences in the crime issues that affect the urban and rural areas of Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland. Violence against the person is a growing problem across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland, being a bigger problem in urban areas compared to rural areas. The larger percentage increases in reported violence against the person offences suggest it is a growing problem outside the city urban areas. Vehicle crime is a relatively bigger problem for rural areas, with theft from motor vehicles accounting for double the proportion of offences in hamlet and isolated dwellings compared to city and county urban areas. Vehicle crime had the largest percentage decrease of all offence types across all of Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland during the three year period. Rural areas had the largest percentage decrease in theft from motor vehicle offences over the three year period. Damage offences are a bigger problem in both county and city urban areas and town and fringe areas compared to more rural areas. There has been a considerable decrease in the number of reported damage offences in city urban areas in the last three years. In comparison, there is an upward trend in the recording of damage offences outside the city urban areas. Burglary other than dwelling offences have decreased across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland during the last three years. Burglary other than dwelling is a relatively bigger problem for rural areas, though the largest percentage decreases are outside the city urban areas. Theft offences account for the highest proportion of offences within villages, hamlets and isolated dwellings. Rural businesses are less likely to have been a victim of crime in the last 12 months compared to businesses located in city or county urban areas. The perceived likelihood of being a victim of violence against the person or burglary is a lot higher than the actual risk. The perceived risk of burglary in county urban areas is thirty times higher than the actual risk. The disparity between the perceived likelihood of being a victim of violence is greater in urban and town and fringe areas compared to villages, hamlets and isolated dwellings. Details: Leicester, UK: Leicester County Council, 2005. 32p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 21, 2012 at http://www.leics.gov.uk/index/your_council/council_services_contacts/about_leicestershire/statistics/rural_crime_report.pdf Year: 2005 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.leics.gov.uk/index/your_council/council_services_contacts/about_leicestershire/statistics/rural_crime_report.pdf Shelf Number: 124225 Keywords: BurglaryCrime StatisticsRural CrimeUrban CrimeVictimizationViolent Crime |
Author: Haigh, Yvonne Title: Urban Renewal and Crime Prevention Strategies: A Case Study in Phoenix Rise Summary: Urban redevelopment is a challenge for all levels of government and the community involved in the renewal process. The spaces in which people live, whether in public housing or in private tenure, impact on personal identity and provide linkages between the personal and the community. That redevelopment in many urban areas includes demolition, refurbishment and the subsequent moving of people into alternative accommodation raises many questions about the role of public housing in modern democracies. While the benefits associated with redeveloping older and out-dated designs have been documented in terms of crime reduction (Gans 1961), addressing social exclusion and accessing public space (Peel 1996; Wilson 1987, 1991, 1997), the perceptions of residents experiencing a redevelopment project have not been well documented. This project acknowledges that urban renewal does not constitute a ‘quick fix’ for past design errors or policies that established purpose-built state housing estates. It also acknowledges that the Department for Housing and Works (Western Australia) and the City of Cockburn are working with the community to bring about change that aims to provide the basis for resilient, sustainable and diverse communities. The body of this report discusses the following issues: • An overview of literature that addresses urban renewal • The policy nexus that encompasses urban renewal, crime prevention and community development • An outline of the demographics of Phoenix Rise (Southwell) • Statistical analysis of three survey waves conducted in the Phoenix Rise locality from January 2006 to February 2007 • Factors identified from community members that pertain to developing a safe living environment • A discussion of the unintended consequences of the new Living Project • Recommendations for the policy nexus The body of the report also makes several specific findings: • Statistical analysis of the survey data does not identify, in general, a significant trend in the residents’ perceptions of Phoenix Rise as either improving or declining during the New Living Project • Statistical trends have been identified in the following areas: an increase in feeling unsafe at night; a decrease in the perception of community consultation; and people perceive it is safer in winter than in summer • Unintended consequences refer to an initial loss of social networks especially in the area of young children and older citizens • The residents of Phoenix Rise do not have information regarding the aspects of the redevelopment project that aim to reduce/prevent criminal activity Factors that impact on safety and quality of life: • A significant proportion of the residents view ‘target hardening’ through high fencing, security systems, visible policing and security guards as primary forms of providing a safe living environment • Reducing the level of obvious vandalism in the area • Targeting vacant houses during the redevelopment period with appropriate security measures • More effective street lighting is required as residents perceive night time to be more unsafe than daylight hours • Further landscaping on verges and in parks Recommendations • At a policy level, work needs to be undertaken to develop benchmarks for effectively evaluating redevelopment projects. This must include, but is not limited to a range of indicators including an analysis of crime statistics, 4 pre, during and post redevelopment, surveys of residents’ perceptions of the changes, interviews with people leaving and moving into the area; interviews with key government stakeholders to ascertain how standards are developed and the manner in which new housing criteria are implemented • At the level of crime prevention, a pamphlet that outlines the crime prevention characteristics of the urban renewal project needs to be developed and distributed to the residents in the locality • Community development support systems require more visibility, especially during the early and middle stages of the renewal project, to deal with the initial loss of social networks for younger school age children and older citizens • Ensure community consultation and information is continued throughout the entire project Overall this project has identified that the New Living Project implemented in Phoenix Rise is still undergoing transition. Residents’ perceptions of the locality and the changes taking place have not significantly altered over the study period in either positive or negative terms. Details: Perth, Western Australia: Murdoch University, Centre for Social and Community Research, 2008. 64p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 29, 2012 at: http://www.cscr.murdoch.edu.au/_docs/urbanrenewal.pdf Year: 2008 Country: Australia URL: http://www.cscr.murdoch.edu.au/_docs/urbanrenewal.pdf Shelf Number: 124758 Keywords: Crime Prevention (Australia)Situational Crime PreventionUrban AreasUrban CrimeUrban Renewal |
Author: Doucet, Jessica M. Title: Crime in New Orleans: Applying the Civic Community Perspective to Urban Violence Summary: Civic community theory is a macro-level social control perspective that has emerged within the past 10 years as an explanation of community variation in crime rates. The theory is based on the assumption that well-integrated communities are better able to regulate their members’ behaviors than poorly integrated communities. It has been particularly successful in explaining violent crime rates in rural counties or communities, but research has generally ignored the relationship between civic community theory and violent crime in urban areas. The current study aims to determine the applicability of the civic community perspective to urban areas, as a link has not been demonstrated in previous research. To test its applicability, census tract data are analyzed. The link between civic community theory and violent crime, particularly homicide and aggravated assault, is determined using secondary data geocoded to census tracts in Orleans Parish, Louisiana. Data are gathered from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, the Zip Code Business Patterns, and the New Orleans Police Department. Negative binomial regression techniques are utilized after creating a measure to capture any spatial autocorrelation that may exist between census tracts. The results reveal that the protective effects of civic community theory are applicable to violent crime in urban areas. Each civic community measure was found to be negative and significantly related to homicide and aggravated assault counts individually and when combined. Additionally, an interactive effect between civic engagement and resource disadvantage indicated that the protective effect of civic engagement is stronger in areas plagued with high levels of disadvantage. Upon analyzing the standardized percent changes, it was revealed that the strength of the individual civic community measures varies depending on which violent crime is being predicted. Specifically, self-employment was found to have a greater protective effective against homicide while civic engagement and homeownership had greater protective effects against aggravated assault. The paper is concluded with a discussion of theoretical implications, limitations of the current project, and avenues for future research. Details: Baton Rouge, LA: Louisiana State University, 2011. 81p. Source: Internet Resource: Dissertation: Accessed March 29, 2012 at: http://etd.lsu.edu/docs/available/etd-07052011-161631/ Year: 2011 Country: United States URL: http://etd.lsu.edu/docs/available/etd-07052011-161631/ Shelf Number: 124759 Keywords: Communities and Crime (New Orleans)Urban CrimeViolent Crime, Urban Areas |
Author: Roque, Silvia Title: Youth and Urban Violence in San Salvador, Rio de Janeiro and Praia Summary: Overall, despite the differences between Rio de Janeiro, San Salvador and Praia in terms of the incidence of youth violence, historical approaches and experience in dealing with the issue, Brazil, El Salvador and Cape Verde have all favoured an enforcement-based approach, focusing primarily on repression and law-enforcement mechanisms (police action, specific youth violence legislation, and prosecution, prison and socio-educational systems), instead of interventions aimed at the root causes of violent behaviour. However, recent changes in federal government approaches to public security in Brazil, coupled with state level changes, suggest the materialisation of a discourse shift in the field of youth violence, which has been in the making since the late 1990s. Another common feature in these countries is the incomplete availability of qualified information systems on violence and violent criminality, especially on organised crime and female involvement in urban violence. Civil society actions to prevent and combat urban violence are very diverse. In Brazil, especially Rio de Janeiro, NGOs, associations and grassroots organisations have a fairly long track record when dealing with the issue of youth violence, promoting initiatives and programmes mostly aimed at youth violence prevention, especially at the primary level. These initiatives and programmes have been based on skills training, sports, culture, empowerment and, to lesser extent, professional training and labour market integration. In San Salvador, despite the severity of youth violence, civil society approaches are less diversified and effective. Like any other violence-afflicted country in Central America, violence prevention and especially intervention programmes, namely those aimed at the perpetrators of violence, face greater disadvantages and less funding and support from the region’s crime-weary population. In Praia, the involvement of civil society in this matter has been slow. However, in recent years, the experiences of civil society organisations, sometimes in partnership with public institutions, have been singled out as good examples and as having had some direct impact on youth involved in violence in the Cidade da Praia. Responding to and effectively preventing youth urban violence requires a comprehensive approach which takes into account the intra-social forms of violence committed by and against youth, as well as the structural conditions which determine the marginalisation of youth. This includes prevention programmes which help young people in vulnerable situations, intervention programmes which offer alternatives for those attracted to violence, rehabilitation prospects for those who wish to leave violent groups, and those leaving prison and socioeducational systems. Capable and accountable law-enforcement bodies, protection and support mechanisms for victims of violence, adequate arms control policies, up-to-date data collection and analysis systems on youth and violence, and whole-of-government and multi-disciplinary approaches to violence are also key. Details: Brussels: Peace Studies Group, Initiative for Peacebuilding, 2012. 26p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 9, 2012 at: http://www.ifp-ew.eu/pdf/201202IfPEWYouthViolenceRioSanPra.pdf Year: 2012 Country: South America URL: http://www.ifp-ew.eu/pdf/201202IfPEWYouthViolenceRioSanPra.pdf Shelf Number: 125228 Keywords: GangsJuvenile OffendersUrban CrimeViolent CrimeYouth Violence (San Salvador, Rio de Janeiro, Cape |
Author: Walsh, Wendy A. Title: Understanding Child Abuse in Rural and Urban America: Risk Factors and Maltreatment Substantiation Summary: Using a large national sample of child maltreatment reports, this brief compares the outcomes of child maltreatment cases in rural versus urban places and identifies the characteristics associated with substantiation. Child abuse cases substantiated in rural and urban areas share many caregiver risk factors, such as drug and alcohol abuse, and many family stressors. Substantiation is equally likely across income levels; approximately one-fourth of cases in each income level are substantiated. However, when place is taken into account, a greater share (36 percent) of higher-income families (that is, families with incomes greater than 200 percent of the federal poverty level) in rural areas have substantiated maltreatment reports than in urban areas. Details: Durham, NH: Carsey Institute, 2012. 4p. Source: Issue Brief No. 50: Internet Resource: Accessed June 19, 2012 at http://www.carseyinstitute.unh.edu/publications/IB-Walsh-Child-Abuse-Substantiation.pdf Year: 2012 Country: United States URL: http://www.carseyinstitute.unh.edu/publications/IB-Walsh-Child-Abuse-Substantiation.pdf Shelf Number: 125361 Keywords: Child AbuseChild Abuse and NeglectChild MaltreatmentRural CrimeUrban Crime |
Author: Boudreau, Julie-Anne Title: Constructing Youth Citizenship in Montreal and Mexico City: The Examples of Youth-Police Relations in Saint-Michel and Iztapalapa Summary: Montreal has witnessed cyclical concerns about youth violence and street gangs. The threat is often “politically” constructed. Currently, Mexico City is struggling with a pervasive sense of insecurity. While the threat in Canada was largely attributed to mafias and organized crime throughout the 1990s (Sheptycki 2003), fear has crystallised on the figure of the young gang member in Mexico and Canada in the past few years. As Ungar writes, [y]outh thus become objects of collective fear, seen not as individuals but for the anxieties they cause and the jarring cultural changes they are seen to embrace. The particular impulsiveness of youths, wrapped up in their hostility to tradition and authority, only serves to aggravate these tensions. (Ungar 2009: 208)1 As a result, youths become the target of police action in public spaces. New repression measures are implemented, such as zero-tolerance policies or anti-gang operations, combined with a strengthened set of preventive actions ranging from youth brigades, to participatory youth projects, to community policing. In Montreal, preventive programs are generously financed by the Quebec Government and the Government of Canada. The money is channelled in priority boroughs selected on the basis of their scoring on a set of risk factors (such as household socio-economic status, school dropout rates, number of single-parent households, proportion of immigrants, general state of the built environment, the presence of gang activities in the borough, etc.). In Mexico City, particularly under the mayorship of Lopez Obrador (2000-2005), police reforms focused on community-run policing programs. The City of Mexico now has several programs for “at-risk” youths, including community youth brigades. Notably, and as discussed in greater detail in the Mexico section, today the Policía Sectorial, which is centrally overseen by the City, manages an outreach program for youth in schools that attempts to connect youth and police in a non-threatening environment. In addition to the citywide effort, Iztapalapa, the only borough in Mexico City with Auxiliary police directly under its command, also has a small team of Auxiliary police officers that implement similar efforts within the delegación. These programs are the closest thing to gang prevention efforts conducted by police in this borough. Such area-based approaches to crime prevention are reflected in the United Nations Guidelines for the Prevention of Crime (2002) and the earlier United Nations Guidelines for the Prevention of Urban Crime (1995), which call for a local approach to problem solving, taking into account the context of vulnerability to being victimized and/or to offending, as well as local resources. Situational approaches build on the “broken windows theory” (Wilson and Kelling 1982) among others, and community crime prevention, which includes consideration of such issues as social capital. The literature on street gangs by criminologists or psychologists (Goldstein 1991; Thornberry et al. 1993; Hawkins 1998) are also relevant. The concern is generally to find causal relationships between background factors (or risk factors) and illegal or violent acts, in order to point towards elements in which to intervene preventively. Over the course of the 1990s, this came to be known as the “new penology” (Feely and Simon 1992), which positions the criminal as a statistical probability to manage. Crime is not conceptualized as transgression; it is understood as the result of the accumulation of risk factors in a territory or an individual. Following this logic, the prevention system aims more to neutralize danger by regulating risks than by punishing or rehabilitating individuals. The stigmatizing effects of this (such as ghettoizing and/or racial profiling) have been largely documented by urban geographers and sociologists (Davis 1998; Symons 1999; Romero 2006; Wacquant 2006; Dikeç 2007). The work of Philoctète at the Maison d’Haïti in Saint-Michel in Montreal (confirmed by the data presented here) has documented how youths perceive the stigmatizing effects of prevention programs and research on their neighbourhood. Yet Saint-Michel has been very innovative in its approach to issues of street crime and insecurity in the borough, developing a comprehensive crime prevention approach which encompasses a range of socio-cultural, developmental and structural concerns. The neighbourhood police work on an area-based logic given the administrative structures in place, but recognize Saint-Michel as a community as well. The neighbourhood has seen many projects beyond gang prevention: support services of all types, work with migrant communities, cross-sector partnerships, community mobilization, etc. As Fady Dagher, former Police Commandant in Saint-Michel, said in a presentation at the 12th UN Congress in Salvador, they are trying to explicitly move from “zero tolerance” to “tolerance”. Much of this local approach is focused on the neighbourhood and the immediate community. Yet, a previous project has shown how moving around the city is important to youths and contributes greatly to their development (Cissé and Boudreau 2009; Guthrie 2009; Boudreau, Janni, and Chatel, 2011; see also Madzou and Bacqué 2008). This mobile and fluid aspect of youths’ everyday life is not always taken into account in prevention projects in Montreal and Mexico City. The developments in Saint-Michel are encouraging, but the youths to whom we spoke still feel at a distance from these programs and labelled as “vulnerable”. The previous research conducted by VESPA has highlighted depoliticization (making delinquency a technical, rather than a publicly debatable problem) as an important effect of these preventive approaches (Boudreau, Janni, and Chatel 2011). It became clear that one of the important effects of preventive measures framed by “at-risk” categorizations is to deny youths any sense of meaningful socio-political agency. As a street worker stated, “it is important to humanize the gang. In it, there are individuals with broken lives” (November 18, 2008, our translation). Viewing gangs as a technical problem of risk management depoliticizes the issue, while stripping youths of individual and group subjectivity. They are seen as vulnerable to gang recruitment rather than as individuals and groups able to act intentionally and autonomously. Parazelli’s (2004) work with street youths in Montreal demonstrates how they create their own autonomous space of action in reaction to the effects of this risk management logic of preventive action. Fortunately, some innovative projects on youth participation are seeking to counteract this (ICPC Youth Resource Guide 2010). With this project, we seek to contribute to this search for solutions. Details: Montreal: Institut national de la recherche scientifique Centre - Urbanisation Culture Société, 2012. 167p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 21, 2012 at: http://im.metropolis.net/research-policy/research_content/doc/Youth-police_relations_in_Montreal_and_Mexico_City-final_report.pdf Year: 2012 Country: International URL: http://im.metropolis.net/research-policy/research_content/doc/Youth-police_relations_in_Montreal_and_Mexico_City-final_report.pdf Shelf Number: 126389 Keywords: At-Risk Youth (Montreal, Canada, Mexico City)GangsJuvenile OffendersPolice-Citizen InteractionsPolice-Community RelationsUrban CrimeYouth GangsYouth Violence |
Author: Bowers, James Henry Title: Urban Growth Boundaries: Urban Crime Reduction or Urban Myth? Summary: There has been much research written on the negative aspects associated with sprawl, such as crime, the flight of people and businesses to the suburbs, and resulting inner-city decay. However, there is a dearth of information on the effects of limiting sprawl and crime. The objective of this research was to examine the impact of an urban growth boundary (UGB) that limits uncontrolled sprawl on crime rates in Portland, Oregon. UCR data from 1975-1997 was utilized to measure the impact. Crime impacts were analyzed with time-series analysis for property crime, violent crime, and overall crime indexes. Vancouver, Washington crime data was used as a comparison group. Other smaller cities within the UGB in the Portland area also were analyzed. The results show significant increases in violent, property, and the overall crime rates in Portland. There also were significant increases in crime rates in the comparison city of Vancouver. The smaller cities showed a significant decrease in violent crimes after the implementation of the urban growth boundary, with property crimes increasing slightly. This legal impact study does provide results that can be interpreted through both ecological theories and routine activities theory. It would appear that the benefits of the urban growth boundary may be felt in the Oregon cities surrounding Portland. Details: Indiana, PA: Indiana University of Pennsylvania, 2012. 153p. Source: Dissertation: Internet Resource: Accessed September 23, 2012 at http://dspace.iup.edu/bitstream/handle/2069/715/James%20Henry%20Bowers.pdf?sequence=1 Year: 2012 Country: United States URL: http://dspace.iup.edu/bitstream/handle/2069/715/James%20Henry%20Bowers.pdf?sequence=1 Shelf Number: 126410 Keywords: Crime RatesCrime StatisticsRoutine ActivitiesUrban AreasUrban Crime |
Author: Mora, Pilar Title: Towards a Strategy of Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design in the City of Masaya, Nicaragua Summary: This research project studies the influence of the built environment on criminal behaviour, and on people's behaviour because of their fear of crime, in a commercial corridor of the city of Masaya, Nicaragua. The report presents an analysis of the area under study from the perspective of safety. The goal of this project is to explore to what extent a specific strategy on crime prevention which is Crime Prevention Through Environmental Desiang - CPTED - can be applied in that context. Details: Montreal: McGill University, School of Urban Planning, 2008. 124p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 6, 2012 at: http://gim.ucs.inrs.ca/fran/PDF/Mora-2008.pdf Year: 2008 Country: Nicaragua URL: http://gim.ucs.inrs.ca/fran/PDF/Mora-2008.pdf Shelf Number: 126888 Keywords: Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (NicDesign Against CrimeFear of CrimeUrban AreasUrban Crime |
Author: Carli, Vivien Title: The Aboriginal Justice Research Project: Report Summary: Increasing numbers of Aboriginal people in Canada are migrating to cities, and 50.6% of Aboriginal people now live in urban areas. The city has for many decades been envisioned as a place of opportunity and providing freedom from challenges back home. Montreal is but one example of a city that has experienced a growing Aboriginal population due to educational and employment opportunities, and reconnecting with family and friends. At this point in time we know that 17,865 Aboriginal people live in Montreal (Census 2006). Montreal is among the smallest per capita Aboriginal population; Aboriginal people account for just 0.5 percent of the total population of Montreal, on par with Toronto (UAPS 2011). However, according to the Census (2006) the Aboriginal population in Montreal is the fastest growing populace out of all the cities that were examined in the Urban Aboriginal Peoples Study (2011). The ‘average’ Aboriginal person living in Montreal is female, identifies herself as First Nations, is between the age of 25 and 44, has either a high school or college degree, has an average household income of $10,000 to $30,000 and lives in a rented apartment or house (UAPS Montreal report 2011). One can compare this to the ‘average’ Montreal resident who is male, identifies himself as a Canadian citizen, is between the age of 35 and 44, has either a high school or university degree, has an average household income of $68,000 and lives in a private house or condo (Statistics Canada 2007). While Montreal may be attracting more Aboriginal people, safety is a major issue for many new arrivals as well as long-term residents. Montreal’s Aboriginal population is still relatively invisible, however their vulnerability to crime and violence is oftentimes overlooked despite the fact that they experience a heightened level of exposure compared to most other groups in the city. As in other Canadian urban areas, Aboriginal people are overrepresented in the criminal justice system when one compares their representation in the city. Further, a high proportion of Aboriginal people are victims of crime and violence and Aboriginal women face greater risk of victimization, poverty and oppression than non-Aboriginal women. Urban Aboriginal youth are the fastest growing segment of the Aboriginal population in Canada and face discrimination by the wider community and denied equal opportunities in employment and education, thus being forced to engage in aggressive and risky behaviour, and illegal activities. Taking this information into consideration, safety is an important issue which cannot be neglected. Safety embodies all aspects of one’s life and is instrumental in the achievement of an equitable and inclusive city for all. Details: Montreal: International Centre for the Prevention of Crime, 2012. 130p. Source: Internet Resource: accessed November 23, 2012 at: http://www.reseaumtlnetwork.com/eng/Portals/5/Report%20on%20the%20Aboriginal%20Justice%20Research%20Project.pdf Year: 2012 Country: Canada URL: http://www.reseaumtlnetwork.com/eng/Portals/5/Report%20on%20the%20Aboriginal%20Justice%20Research%20Project.pdf Shelf Number: 126950 Keywords: Aboriginal Peoples (Montreal, Canada)Crime PreventionMinoritiesUrban AreasUrban Crime |
Author: Kartas, Moncel Title: Urban Resilience in Situations of Chronic Violence: Case Study of Kigali, Rwanda Summary: The question guiding the Kigali case study is how formal and informal institutions interact in the process of urban adaptation to external and internal shocks and stress factors. For instance, if state institutions are failing to provide acceptable levels of services, do informal groups rise in prominence (numbers, resources, visibility, or physical activity)? If such informal institutions do become more salient, how does the state then react to them? By defining urban resilience as an ongoing process of coping and adaptation of territorially bounded units (characterised as a city’s formal as well as informal social, political, and economic institutions and its members and affiliates) to exogenous and endogenous stress, the present study distinguishes between what could be called “negative” and “positive” resilience. The main emphasis of this case study has been placed on the security dimension of resilience. The main argument is that it is not the formal or informal nature of institutions which matter for the production of positive or negative effects, but rather that the strategic orientation underlying their organisation, and the social dynamics in which they operate, influence their ultimate effect on violence and perceived insecurity. In other words, even if the same measures are introduced in urban and rural areas, in an urban space they develop their own urbanspecific resilience mechanisms. Overall, the research team noticed the stark absence of available data sets related to urban parameters such as infrastructure, security, health, housing, and education. Moreover, Rwandan official showed great reluctance in sharing information, datasets, reports and studies with the research team, even when it was stated that the project was being conducted for USAID. Surprisingly, even within and between various government and city-level administrations, there appears to be little capacity and/or willingness to share documents and data. Ultimately, and as no previous work exists on urban violence in the city of Kigali, the research strategy had to be adapted accordingly. The focus was moved to: • localising where and what data exists; • understanding the broad urban dynamics in Kigali and the main urbanisation policies; and • identifying instances of urban resilience in the different sectors discussed by conceptual framework of the project (security, infrastructure, basic service delivery, etc.). To this end, the research has focused on qualitative approaches based on open interviews and narrative conversations. Furthermore, the team used basic participant observation techniques and a thorough visual exploration of the city and its different neighbourhoods using photographic support. The present report is thus able to provide an interpretation and illustrations of urban resilience in Kigali, but not a systematic survey supported by GIS data. The report is divided into five sections. The first provides a descriptive account of Kigali’s main stress factor, namely its demographic explosion, against the backdrop of its topography. It also gives a schematic picture of the city’s neighbourhoods and the scope of informal and formal settlement. The second section introduces the Kigali City Master Plan (KCMP) to familiarise the reader with the macro-policies of the authorities towards urbanisation. It also highlights how the city has shown signs of resilience through the adaptation of its population and institutions to wide-spread expropriation, eviction and resettlement schemes. The third section focuses on the evolution of informal security institutions and their interaction with formal institutions, notably with the security sector reform efforts undertaken by the government and their link to the government’s decentralisation and community-based development policy. The fourth section seeks to relate instances of informal coping strategies with phenomena of urban resilience through a number of illustrations in the fields of public utilities (electricity, sanitation, and waste management), microfinance, and transportation. A final section then briefly reflects on the links between urbanisation and development in present-day Rwanda. Details: Cambridge, MA: Center for International Studies, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2012. 39p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed December 10, 2012 at: http://graduateinstitute.ch/webdav/site/ccdp/shared/5917/Kigali_URCV.pdf Year: 2012 Country: Rwanda URL: http://graduateinstitute.ch/webdav/site/ccdp/shared/5917/Kigali_URCV.pdf Shelf Number: 127203 Keywords: Urban Areas (Rwanda)Urban CrimeViolenceViolent Crime |
Author: Humansecurity-cities.org. Title: Human Security for an urban Century: Local Challenges, Global Perspectives Summary: The objective of this project has been to examine in detail the nature and scale of organized armed violence in urban areas and to explore the value of bringing a human security lens to the challenges posed by cities at the beginning of an “Urban Century.” For the first time in history, the majority of people now live in cities. Rapid urbanization is already shaping trends in global peace and security. Armed violence is increasingly taking place in sprawling hillside slums, involving adolescent boys with automatic weapons, corrupt police officers determined to “clean up” city streets, or vigilante groups who take justice into their own hands. The violence feeds on the toxic mix of transnational criminal organizations and failed public security. This book is the product of a unique research partnership between the Human Security Research and Outreach Program of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada, and the Canadian Consortium on Human Security, a research network operated through the University of British Columbia’s Centre of International Relations. Over the past year, our two organizations have together explored the issues of human security in urban spaces. Through this partnership, we have sponsored expert dialogues and conferences, supported graduate student research awards, created a new website (www.humansecurity-cities.org), and presented our early findings to international experts at the United Nations World Urban Forum in Vancouver in June 2006. These research and outreach efforts were critical to the identification of a new community of expertise relevant to the human security and cities agenda. This book provides an overview of what we have learned from these expert consultations. It provides a collection of contributions from 40 leading academics, civil society experts, government officials, and graduate students woven together with a general narrative that tells a compelling story about the human security challenges and opportunities we will face. Among its main conclusions is that building secure cities — cities with effective public security; inclusive, participatory governance; and positive social capital — will be critical to the prevention of armed violence and the protection of civilian populations from such violence when prevention fails. This research suggests that achieving “cities without slums” — the 11th target of the seventh UN Millennium Development Goal — will require a clear recognition of the linkages between security and development. It also suggests that much more work is required by researchers and policy makers in order to fully understand the profound implications rapid urbanization holds for for the human security agenda. Details: Ottawa: humansecurity-cities.org, 2007. 112p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed January 17, 2013 at: http://www.eukn.org/E_library/Security_Crime_Prevention/Security_Crime_Prevention/Human_security_for_an_urban_century_local_challenges_global_perspectives Year: 2007 Country: International URL: http://www.eukn.org/E_library/Security_Crime_Prevention/Security_Crime_Prevention/Human_security_for_an_urban_century_local_challenges_global_perspectives Shelf Number: 127337 Keywords: Armed ViolenceCrime PreventionUrban AreasUrban CrimeUrban ViolenceViolent Crime |
Author: ActionAid Title: Women and the City II: Combating Violence Against Women and Girls in Urban Public Spaces - The Role of Public Services Summary: It is now well recognized that women and girls around the world face violence, sexual harassment and abuse in many of the spaces that they inhabit – their homes, workplaces, educational institutes, on streets and on public transport. Women’s fear of violence restricts their movement, limiting their use of public spaces, their movement from their homes and as a result, their full enjoyment of a range of human rights. ActionAid is working in different countries to make cities safe for women and girls through its Safe Cities Initiative.This initiative is founded on the concept of right to the city. The right to the city is the right of all city inhabitants, especially poor people, to have equitable access to all that a city has to offer and also to have the right to change their city in ways that they see fit. It entails: Freedom from violence and harassment, • including the fear of violence on the streets; Safe public spaces where women and girls • can move freely, without fear of assault; Access to water and sanitation, electricity, • transportation and other public amenities at residences and in public locations to reduce the risks of violence; Freedom from sexual harassment and abuse • in the workplace; Gender sensitive policing mechanisms for • reporting violence and obtaining redress, such as anti-violence centres/shelters; and Systems and structures for women and girls • to enjoy social, economic, cultural and political participation. This study, entitled Women and the city II: combating violence against women and girls in urban public spaces- the role of public services, was initiated to deepen our understanding about the links between violence against women and urban public services, to build evidence, to get communities as well as duty bearers to engage in the process and to strengthen our ability to work with women in these communities to seek change. Conducted in Brazil, Cambodia, Ethiopia, Kenya, Liberia and Nepal, this study comes at a time of significant global change. In 2008, the world reached a momentous milestone: for the first time in history, more than half of its human population – 3.3 billion people – lived in urban areas. By 2010, the global urban population outnumbered the rural population with 3.56 billion (51.5% of the global population) living in urban areas. This report is envisaged as a knowledge building and advocacy tool. Our expected audience includes local municipalities and community leaders, law enforcement, urban planners, non-governmental organisations, feminist movements, the safe cities movement in particular, policymakers and donors at the national and international levels. The report is divided into five sections, namely, an introduction that provides an overview of the right to the city and the global history of safe cities work; an outline of the methodology adopted for this study; country contexts for each of the six countries; key findings; and finally, recommendations. Details: Johannesburg, South Africa: ActionAid, 2013. 76p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 1, 2013 at: http://www.actionaid.org/sites/files/actionaid/women_and_the_city_ii_1.pdf Year: 2013 Country: International URL: http://www.actionaid.org/sites/files/actionaid/women_and_the_city_ii_1.pdf Shelf Number: 127741 Keywords: Fear of CrimeFemale VictimsPublic SpaceUrban CrimeUrban DesignViolence Against WomenViolent Crime |
Author: Hailey, Chantal Title: Chronic Violence: Beyond the Developments Summary: Youth in our study who lived through CHA's Plan for Transformation remain in crisis. Many exhibit the short-term effects of growing up around violence, including high rates of criminal and delinquent behaviors. In 2011, fear and violence was affecting youth whose families had relocated with vouchers more than it was affecting those who had relocated to mixed-income or public housing. To manage their exposure to violence, some youth socially isolate themselves, or their families continue to seek refuge by moving. Still, some children are witnesses, victims, and perpetrators of violence as they leave their protective networks and enter new communities. Details: Washington, DC: Urban Institute, 2013. 10p. Source: Internet Resource: Brief # 05: Accessed July 9, 2013 at: http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/412764-Chronic-Violence-Beyond-the-Developments.pdf Year: 2013 Country: United States URL: http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/412764-Chronic-Violence-Beyond-the-Developments.pdf Shelf Number: 129329 Keywords: Housing and CrimeNeighborhoods and CrimeUrban Crime |
Author: Rodriguez, Alfredo Title: Understanding the Tipping Point of Urban Conflict: The Case of Santiago, Chile Summary: This working paper presents the results of the research project on Understanding the tipping point of urban conflict: violence, cities and poverty reduction in the developing world, undertaken in Santiago, Chile. The paper consists of two sections: the city profile and the sub-city study. The city profile uses secondary sources and is structured in two chapters. Chapter 1 presents changes in the city’s structure that have developed over the last 40 years, identifying the tipping points that have marked the process of neoliberal urban development. Chapter 2 establishes what is understood by ‘violence’ and offers an analysis of the types and categories of urban violence in Santiago. The sub-city study, Chapter 3, is presented in the second section of this working paper. This chapter describes results of the Participatory Violence Appraisal methodology applied in three urban areas of Santiago. The sub-city study identifies violence-related problems that affect women and men both in public places and in the home, tipping points and violence chains at the sub-city level, as well as institutions linked to violence in the three areas. The sub-city study highlighted the fact that all three city areas evidence manifestations of direct violence that are economic, socio-economic and social in nature. Participants reported the existence of violence against people as well as violence against property. However, when asked about the causes of these violence-related problems, all of them ventured explanations revealing the existence of a much deeper and widespread problem rooted in structural violence and legitimated by cultural violence. This reality is clearly demonstrated by the three case studies. Details: Manchester, UK: Urban Tipping Point, University of Manchester, 2012. 90p. Source: Internet Resource: Working Paper # 3: Accessed July 10, 2013 at: http://www.urbantippingpoint.org/documents/Working%20Papers/WP3_Santiago.pdf Year: 2012 Country: Chile URL: http://www.urbantippingpoint.org/documents/Working%20Papers/WP3_Santiago.pdf Shelf Number: 129348 Keywords: PovertyPublic SpaceUrban CrimeViolenceViolent Crime (Chile) |
Author: Rodgers, Dennis Title: Understanding the Tipping Point of Urban Conflict: The Case of Patna, India Summary: This report synthesizes the results of research into the dynamics of urban violence in Patna, the capital of the Indian state of Bihar. It contributes to a broader comparative research project on “Understanding the Tipping Point of Urban Conflict: Violence, Cities, and Poverty Reduction in the Developing World”, funded by a grant from the ESRC/DFID Joint Scheme for Research on International Development, and based at the University of Manchester, UK. The “Urban Tipping Point” (UTP) project is made up of four city case studies across Africa, Asia, and Latin America: Nairobi in Kenya, Dili in Timor Leste, Patna in India, and Santiago in Chile. These cities were chosen partly because the broader existing literature on urban violence suggests that it is a phenomenon that can be linked to the presence of certain specific factors in cities. In particular, high levels of persistent urban poverty, youth bulges, political exclusion, and gender-based insecurity have all been widely put forward as such factors in recent years, and the four cities chosen for the UTP study are each paradigmatically associated with one of these factors – Nairobi with political exclusion, Dili with youth bulges, Patna with poverty, and Santiago with gender-based insecurity. At the same time, the four cities were also chosen because their levels of violence vary significantly, with Nairobi and Dili displaying high levels of violence, Santiago reporting high levels of violence against women within the context of generally low levels of violence, while Patna is reputed to have witnessed a significant decline in violence. This mix of fully and partially positive and negative cases was deemed ideal to explore the multiple ways in which a given factor might or might not lead to violence. This report comprises four sections. The first provides a brief overview of the general UTP conceptual framework, establishing the basic research premises and explaining how Patna fits as a case study within the broader project. The second section is a “city profile” offering basic background information concerning Patna’s historical, spatial, demographic, social, economic, and political dynamics. It also offers an overview of the city’s violence trends, focusing specifically on crime, and drawing on media reports as well as official government and Patna Police statistics. The third section details the results of local-level mixed qualitative and quantitative primary research carried out in four different slums in Patna between April and July 2011. It begins by laying out the logic of case study selection within the city, as well as the general methodological approach adopted. Background information on the four research sites selected is then provided, followed by a general consideration of key trends concerning the dynamics of conflict and violence in Patna. Details: Manchester, UK: Urban Tipping Point, University of Manchester, 2012. 87p. Source: Internet Resource: Working Paper #5: Accessed July 10, 2013 at: http://www.urbantippingpoint.org/documents/Working%20Papers/WP5_Patna.pdf Year: 2012 Country: India URL: http://www.urbantippingpoint.org/documents/Working%20Papers/WP5_Patna.pdf Shelf Number: 129350 Keywords: PovertyUrban CrimeViolence (India) |
Author: Omenya, Alfred Title: Understanding the Tipping Point of Urban Conflict: The Case of Nairobi, Kenya Summary: This research studies the tipping point of urban conflict in Nairobi, Kenya. It employs the concepts of tipping points and violence chains. The research studies various types of conflict and violence at city level through literature and in three of Nairobi’s hotspots: Kawangware, Kibera, and Mukuru settlements, through participatory violence appraisal (PVA). The research shows that the most significant type of violence is political violence. However, cumulatively, other types of violence, namely landlord-tenant, domestic and economic violence, are more significant. Focusing on political violence alone makes other types of violence invisible. The study shows that political violence in Kenya is rooted in colonial times in historical inequity in access to resources, and perpetuated in post-colonial times through the mediation of ethnicity. The study unpacks roles of institutions in tipping conflicts into and out of violence; it shows that an institutional analysis of actors involved in tipping conflict into violence and vice versa is important in preventing violence. It identifies the tipping points at sub-city level and shows the complex ways in which these types of conflict and violence are interlinked through chains. Breaking these violence chains is critical to preventing conflicts tipping into violence. A key way of breaking the chains is improving the overall governance framework. Further the study shows that violence in Nairobi’s sub-city is spatially linked. Thus identification of violence hotspots is critical in dealing with violence; and spatial improvements such as slum upgrading initiatives, taking into consideration hotspots, can go a long way in preventing conflict tipping into violence. Details: Manchester, UK: Urban Tipping Point, University of Manchester, 2012. 68p. Source: Internet Resource: Working Paper #6: Accessed July 10, 2013 at: http://www.urbantippingpoint.org/documents/Working%20Papers/WP6_Nairobi.pdf Year: 2012 Country: Kenya URL: http://www.urbantippingpoint.org/documents/Working%20Papers/WP6_Nairobi.pdf Shelf Number: 129351 Keywords: Crime HotspotsUrban CrimeViolence (Kenya)Violent Crime |
Author: Dodman, David Title: Understanding the Nature and Scale of Urban Risk in Low- and Middle-Income Countries and its Implications for Humanitarian Preparedness, Planning and Response Summary: More than half of the world's population now lives in urban centres. Most of the world's urban population and its largest cities lie outside the most prosperous nations and almost all future growth in the world's urban population is projected to be in low- and middle-income countries. Within these urban centres it is common for up to 50 per cent of the population to live in informal settlements. These are often located on land that is exposed to hazards, with poor-quality provision for water, sanitation, drainage, infrastructure, healthcare and emergency services. The residents of these low-income and informal settlements are therefore highly vulnerable to a range of risks, many of which are specific to urban settings. Yet despite this, many humanitarian agencies have little experience of working in urban areas, or of negotiating the complex political economies that exist in towns and cities. This working paper has two main purposes: (1) to review the quality of the evidence base and to outline knowledge gaps about the nature and scale of urban risk in low- and middle-income countries; and (2) to assess the policy implications for humanitarian preparedness, planning and response. It does so by analysing a wide range of academic and policy literature and drawing on a number of interviews with key informants in the field. It particularly focuses on evidence from Africa and Asia, but also draws on case studies from Latin America, because many examples of good practice come from this region. The paper aims to help ensure that humanitarian and development actors are able to promote urban resilience and disaster risk reduction and to respond effectively to the humanitarian emergencies that are likely to occur in cities. Details: London: Human Settlements Group, International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), 2013. 89p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 11, 2014 at: http://pubs.iied.org/pdfs/10624IIED.pdf Year: 2013 Country: International URL: http://pubs.iied.org/pdfs/10624IIED.pdf Shelf Number: 132644 Keywords: PovertySocioeconomic Conditions and CrimeUrban AreasUrban Crime |
Author: Donais, Timothy Title: Vertically Integrated Peace Building and Community Violence Reduction in Haiti Summary: Gang-driven violence in the urban slums of Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince, has been a preoccupation of international peace-building efforts for the past decade, yet continues to pose a serious threat to peace and stability in the country. These communities have, in recent years, been the site of an ongoing series of experiments, involving a range of different actors, aimed at reclaiming them from armed gangs; however, the isolated and fragmented nature of these interventions has reduced their cumulative impact. This paper makes a case for greater coherence and coordination between bottom-up community violence reduction efforts and top-down police reform, based on a broader argument around the importance of "vertically integrated peace building." Based on field interviews with community leaders as well as officials from both the UN and the Haitian government, this paper suggests that, in the public security realm as elsewhere, the careful integration of top-down and bottom-up efforts represents an important avenue for strengthening state-society relations, increasingly recognized as a crucial component of any sustainable peace-building process. Details: Waterloo, ON, Canada: Centre for International Governance Innovation, 2014. 22p. Source: Internet Resource: CIGI Papers No. 25: Accessed October 15, 2014 at: http://www.cigionline.org/sites/default/files/no25_0.pdf Year: 2014 Country: Haiti URL: http://www.cigionline.org/sites/default/files/no25_0.pdf Shelf Number: 133667 Keywords: Gang ViolenceGangs (Haiti)Urban CrimeViolence Prevention |
Author: Williams, Naomi Title: 100 Promising Practices on Safer Cities: Collation of Urban Safety Practices Summary: As crime and violence becomes an even greater concern for residents in urban areas globally, two general approaches have been developed to address this scourge. On one hand, national governments have attempted to reinforce security through repression. These repressive measures include increasing police manpower, increasing the term of prison sentences, and applying repressive measures which are difficult to administer and at the same time questionable, e.g. "zero tolerance". Such measures can also include curfews for minors or the lowering of the age of legal responsibility. The second approach favours prevention in addition to repression. This can be undertaken in two ways. One way involves the centralisation of the fight against insecurity by making police officers the key players in the matter and subordinating the prevention' practitioners to them. The other tends to decentralise the fight through the delegation to the local authorities of the leadership through a partnership between civil associations in which the police can participate. It should be noted that in the two approaches, one often sees police reform applied in parallel to the implementation of preventive actions. While the repressive approach has the advantage of having immediate effects which can satisfy the short-term demands of public opinion and the needs for effectiveness of the political class, it is clearly evident, however, that the cost of repression is much higher than that of prevention and that prevention has a long term and broad range of effects on quality of life. A social call for safer cities and urban spaces is nowadays clearly voiced. Such a demand concerns directly all those who are responsible for urban development projects. Bearing this in mind, UN-Habitat has embarked on the progressive development of an urban safety approach that builds on a culture of prevention within a sustainable human settlement and more specifically a sustainable urban development agenda The development of this urban approach to crime and violence prevention reveals that the principles governing the layout, functionality and management of streets and urban spaces that determine quality of urban life are close to those that contribute to feelings of safety of urban users. That is why urban safety has become an accepted goal of urban development projects and has provided local authorities and urban stakeholders with a great opportunity to take advantage of the Safer Cities approach to change the face of cities for the better - to produce better quality of life for urban residents, to enhance values of citizenship and social cohesion and to create liveable urban environments. But equally, without documenting lessons from practice on the application of the prevention approach at the local level, there is an enormous risk that urban stakeholders continue to apply the prevention models of two decades ago that have achieved little impact due to their design and lack of systematization - consequently the scourge of crime and violence continues to perpetuate itself in those cities and communities and more segregated urban communities continue to be produced offering no social context or cohesion, no new hopes or possibilities for the most vulnerable groups in the society. There is plenty of evidence about the right and wrong ways to go about the prevention and reduction of urban crime and violence and there is a gathering consensus that the way forward is enhancing multi-dimensional, multi-stakeholder, integrated and holistic approaches to urban safety. Yet there is still not much debate and application of the principles of this approach to urban safety to address the problem of delivery of urban safety for all. The problem of delivery is multifaceted, however two key aspects can be underlined: the weak institutional capacity of local government in many countries often manifested by bad urban governance, planning and management practices; and the lack of political will to decentralize national security policies to the institutions of local government, often seeing local as the interface of the police station with local communities. Coupled with this, is the fact that in the face of rising crime and violence, many local authorities resort to short term quick win actions as opposed to long term social prevention measures which many suspect as more costly to plan and develop. In addition, planning authorities are not well enough informed about the multi-sectoral benefits which are associated with holistic approaches on the prevention of urban crime and enhancement of urban safety, to incorporate these more enlightened principles more robustly in their urban planning, urban management and urban governance principles, nor confident enough to work to actively implement this type of safety-conscious urban development. Accordingly, this report, which presents the case for urban safety, has been written with two audiences in mind - public authorities on the one hand and urban stakeholders on the other hand. The goal of this report is not to be prescriptive but rather to foster an understanding of how the safer cities model has evolved from practice and to provide a source of reference for the elaboration of UN Guidelines on Safer Cities. The 100 practices have been classified into 5 categories : - YOUTH SAFETY PRACTICES - GENDER SAFETY PRACTICES - URBAN DEVELOPMENT SAFETY PRACTICES - COMMUNITY MOBILIZATION SAFETY PRACTICES - POLICING & SECURITY SAFETY PRACTICES - GOVERNANCE SAFETY PRACTICES Details: s.l.:Global Network of Safer Cities, 2014. 214p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 11, 2015 at: http://efus.eu/files/2014/12/100-Promising-Practices-on-Safer-Cities-1-1.pdf Year: 2014 Country: International URL: http://efus.eu/files/2014/12/100-Promising-Practices-on-Safer-Cities-1-1.pdf Shelf Number: 134591 Keywords: CitiesCrime PreventionUrban Areas (International)Urban Crime |
Author: Males, Mike Title: California's Urban Crime Increase in 2012: Is "Realignment" to Blame? Summary: For nearly two decades, California's violent crime rate has been falling steadily, with a 63% decrease from 1993 to 2011. However, preliminary reports released by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI, 2013) show violent and property crimes increased slightly in most large California cities in the first six months of 2012, while remaining among the lowest recorded in more than 40 years. The 2012 figures are the first comprehensive crime data reported since the implementation of Public Safety Realignment (AB 109) in October 2011. Realignment effectively divided the state's felon population into two categories: those legally-defined as violent, serious, and/or sex offenders (around 207,000 as of June 30, 2012) who continue to be sent to state prison and be supervised by state parole officers upon release, and those lower-level offenders (approximately 46,000) who formerly were managed by the state prison and parole system but now must be managed by local justice systems and supervised by local probation officers. This publication analyzes whether Realignment - in this case, the 46,000 offenders diverted to local management - contributed to the increase in urban offenses in the first half of 2012. The data analyzed did not demonstrate any relationship between the implementation of Realignment and increases in violent or property crime. Details: San Francisco: Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice, 2013. 10p. Source: Internet Resource: Research Brief: Accessed June 4, 2015 at: http://www.cjcj.org/uploads/cjcj/documents/california_urban_crime_increase_2012.pdf Year: 2013 Country: United States URL: http://www.cjcj.org/uploads/cjcj/documents/california_urban_crime_increase_2012.pdf Shelf Number: 135906 Keywords: California RealignmentCrime StatisticsUrban Crime |
Author: Macaluso, Agnese Title: Trapped in the City: Communities, Insecurity and Urban Life in Fragile States Summary: Hague Institute Researcher Agnese Macaluso and Clingendael's Senior Research Fellow Ivan Briscoe coauthored a policy brief on the challenges that fast-growing cities in fragile and developing states need to face in tackling insecurity and violence. The brief builds on the expert event Big Cities: Sources of and Solutions to New Insecurities hosted by the Secretariat of the Knowledge Platform Security & Rule of Law in November 2014 at The Hague Institute for Global Justice. The meeting was intended to provide an opportunity for knowledge sharing and policy thinking on the impact of cities in fragile and conflict-affected environments, as well as to discuss possible donor responses to problems associated with urban development. A number of sessions brought together experts from different countries in the Global South, in order to discuss violence and insecurity in their urban dimension on the basis of concrete experiences. Furthermore, the discussion also sought to assess the value and impact of possible responses. Discussions benefited from the presentation of case studies from cities located in diverse geographical and cultural contexts, including Caracas, Karachi, Lagos, Nairobi and San Salvador - different in many ways, yet sharing similar social traumas and security concerns. A vital lesson that emerged from the discussion and participants' experiences is that understanding the real nature of urban insecurity requires stepping beyond the traditional analytical framework based on concepts such as legal and illegal, formal or informal, legitimate or illegitimate, and instead digging into the nuances and social adaptations undertaken in contexts of urban survival. In many urban contexts, the concept of crime is vague and difficult to define, since public institutions can be the main perpetrators of violence and gangs are relied upon to provide stability and security. The same ambiguity characterizes the most recent innovations to social problems that rapid urbanization has generated: while traditional governance approaches are often inadequate, high-tech solutions for urban dilemmas - often dependent on private sector involvement - pose new ethical and social challenges, and demand careful consideration of possible risks for the public interest. This brief builds on the insights from the seminar, and points to some of the more critical and controversial aspects of urban insecurity, above all in fragile and conflict-affected states. It explores relationship between violence, power and society in urban contexts, and aims to provide policy-relevant insights for the design of new approaches to urban governance. Details: The Hague: The Hague Institute for Global Justice, 2015. 15p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 4, 2015 at: http://thehagueinstituteforglobaljustice.org/cp/uploads/publications/trapped-in-the-city-communities-insecurity-and-urban-life-in-fragile-states%20(2).pdf Year: 2015 Country: International URL: http://thehagueinstituteforglobaljustice.org/cp/uploads/publications/trapped-in-the-city-communities-insecurity-and-urban-life-in-fragile-states%20(2).pdf Shelf Number: 135907 Keywords: GangsUrban CrimeViolenceViolent Crime |
Author: Sawas, Amiera Title: Urbanization, Gender and Violence in Rawalpindi and Islamabad: A Scoping Study Summary: This scoping study is part of a research project entitled 'Gender and Violence in Urban Pakistan'. This is one of 15 projects being conducted across the world which form the larger Safe and Inclusive Cities Project (SAIC). Co-funded by the International Development Research Center in Canada (IDRC) and the UK's Department for International Development (DFID), SAIC is directed towards understanding the drivers of violence in the urban areas of the global South so as to inform evidence-based policy making for safe and inclusive cities. This project, on urban Pakistan, focuses on the material and discursive drivers of gender roles and their relevance to configuring violent geographies specifically among urban working class neighbourhoods of Karachi and the twin cities of Rawalpindi/Islamabad. The research is primarily concerned with investigating how frustrated gendered expectations may be complicit in driving different types of violence in urban areas. The project is also concerned with addressing first, the material aspects of gender roles through improved access to public services and opportunities, and second, discursive aspects of gender roles in terms of public discourse, education and media. The purpose of this scoping study is to bring together existing knowledge on the process of urbanization, and the interplay of gender roles, vulnerabilities, and violence in Pakistan. With an awareness of existing knowledge and knowledge gaps, the research team has been able to form a research protocol with a view to exploring known links and gaps in knowledge on the aforementioned themes. Methodologically, the study undertakes a review of the academic and policy related literatures, combined with a 3 month media analysis of selected print and online newspapers, television and radio which are relevant to national and local discourses about violence in Rawalpindi-Islamabad. By undertaking an analysis of such links between urbanization and violence, this study concludes that various types of urban geographies and the associated infrastructure therein enable or produce distinct forms of violence in Pakistan. In definitional terms, violence here is understood as the use of or threat of physical force in attaining particular aims. This understanding of violence allows an analytical distinction between 'violence as a product' and 'violence as a process'. An accompanying expansion of focus led to the inclusion not only of spectacular forms of violence (like terrorism), which is quite common in Pakistan, but also the much more common, persistent and understudied forms of everyday violence. Details: London: King's College London, Department of Geography, 2014. 130p. Source: Internet Resource: Environment, Politics and Development Working Paper Series No. 67: Accessed August 14, 2015 at: http://www.kcl.ac.uk/sspp/departments/geography/research/epd/wp67Mustafa.pdf Year: 2014 Country: Pakistan URL: http://www.kcl.ac.uk/sspp/departments/geography/research/epd/wp67Mustafa.pdf Shelf Number: 136404 Keywords: Gender-Related ViolenceNeighborhoods and CrimeUrban CrimeViolent Crime |
Author: Anwar, Nausheen H. Title: Urbanization, Gender & Violence in Millennial Karachi: A Scoping Study Summary: This scoping study is part of a research project entitled "Gender and Violence in Urban Pakistan". This is one of 15 projects being conducted across the world which form the larger Safe and Inclusive Cities Project (SAIC). Co-funded by the International Development Research Center in Canada (IDRC) and the UK's Department for International Development (DFID), SAIC is directed towards understanding the drivers of violence in the urban areas of the global South so as to inform evidence-based policy making for safe and inclusive cities. This project, on urban Pakistan, focuses on the material and discursive drivers of gender roles and their relevance to configuring violent geographies specifically among urban working class neighbourhoods of Karachi and the twin cities of Rawalpindi/Islamabad. The research is primarily concerned with investigating how frustrated gendered expectations may be complicit in driving different types of violence in urban areas. The project is also concerned with addressing first, the material aspects of gender roles through improved access to public services and opportunities, and second, discursive aspects of gender roles in terms of public discourse, education and media. The purpose of this scoping study is to bring together existing knowledge on the process of urbanization, and the interplay of gender roles, vulnerabilities, and violence in Pakistan. With an awareness of existing knowledge and knowledge gaps, the research team has been able to form a research protocol with a view to exploring known links and gaps in knowledge on the aforementioned themes. Methodologically, the study undertakes a review of the academic and policy related literatures, combined with a 3 month media analysis of selected print An accompanying expansion of focus led to the inclusion not only of spectacular forms of violence (like terrorism), which is quite common in Pakistan, but also the much more common, persistent and understudied forms of everyday violence. Details: London: King's College London, Department of Geography, 2014. 103p. Source: Internet Resource: Safe and Inclusive Cities: Accessed August 14, 2015 at: http://www.kcl.ac.uk/sspp/departments/geography/research/epd/wp66Mustafa.pdf Year: 2014 Country: Pakistan URL: http://www.kcl.ac.uk/sspp/departments/geography/research/epd/wp66Mustafa.pdf Shelf Number: 136409 Keywords: Gender-Related ViolenceNeighborhoods and CrimeUrban CrimeViolent Crime |
Author: Gupte, Jaideep Title: Key Challenges of Security Provision in Rapidly Urbanising Contexts: Evidence from Kathmandu Valley and Terai Regions of Nepal Summary: We know that urban violence not only affects people's health and wellbeing, it has a devastating impact on the social fabric and economic prospects of entire cities. It can also set recursive cycles of vulnerability in motion - violence-affected individuals find it increasingly harder to be gainfully employed, while poverty is sustained through inter generational transfers. However, the mechanisms through which violent crime and urbanisation are interconnected are not straightforward. While higher rates of violent crime are generally seen in the larger urban centres, not all urban centres experience similar degrees of violence. That is, the security and insecurity outcomes in a city are the result of a complex range of socioeconomic, political and demographic factors, which can vary temporally, spatially, as well as be significantly different for different individuals or groups. Importantly, rapid urbanisation also brings with it a unique set of challenges, which has the potential to overwhelm key government services, including policing and security provision. Details: Brighton, UK: Institute of Development Studies, 2014. 63p. Source: Internet Resource: Addressing and Mitigating Violence, IDS Evidence Report No. 69: Accessed August 24, 2015 at: http://www.ids.ac.uk/publication/key-challenges-of-security-provision-in-rapidly-urbanisig-contexts-evidence-from-kathmandu-valley-and-terai-regions-of-nepal Year: 2014 Country: Nepal URL: http://www.ids.ac.uk/publication/key-challenges-of-security-provision-in-rapidly-urbanisig-contexts-evidence-from-kathmandu-valley-and-terai-regions-of-nepal Shelf Number: 136569 Keywords: Urban CrimeUrban NeighborhoodsViolent Crime |
Author: Stoddard, Sarah Anne Title: Social connections, trajectories of hopelessness and serious violence in impoverished urban youth Summary: Adolescence is a time of immense change and transition. During adolescence, a hopeful sense for the future can facilitate positive development, support health-enhancing behaviors, and promote a successful transition into adulthood. The purpose of this study was to develop and test a longitudinal model linking positive social connections (connectedness to mother, neighborhood connectedness) and violence involvement during early adolescence with serious violence involvement (violence with a weapon) during later adolescence via trajectories of hopelessness during middle adolescence. The proposed hope/hopelessness trajectory model is influenced by ecological theory of development and research on adolescent development, and focuses on individual development in context. Propositions in the longitudinal model were evaluated. Relationships between social connections, hopelessness trajectories and violent behaviors were examined in a sample of 723 adolescents who participated in 5 or more years of the Mobile Youth Survey (MYS). The MYS is a multiple cohort study involving 10-19 year old youth (mostly African American) from impoverished neighborhoods in Mobile and Pritchard, Alabama. This secondary analysis used general growth mixture modeling with multiple group analysis to (a) estimate parameters of hopelessness trajectories during middle adolescence, (b) identify latent classes based on developmental patterns of hopelessness, (c) identify precursors of middle adolescence hopelessness trajectories in early adolescent social connections and violence experiences, and (d) assess the impact of hopelessness trajectories on violence with weapon during later adolescence. This analysis was completed simultaneously for boys and girls. A low hopelessness class and an increasingly hopeless class were identified for both boys and girls. The influence of early adolescent predictors varied based on gender and latent hopelessness trajectory class. Overall, connection to mother was associated with decreased levels of hopelessness, particularly for increasingly hopeless girls and low hopeless boys. For increasingly hopeless girls, fighting during early adolescence was associated with lower initial levels of hopelessness but also with increasing hopelessness over time. Gender differences were apparent for violence with a weapon during later adolescence. Increasingly hopeless girls participated in more serious violence during later adolescence than low hopelessness girls. Regardless of latent class, more boys than girls participated in serious violence during later adolescence. Trajectories of hopelessness during middle adolescence influenced participation in violence with a weapon at a critical transition point in life. Identifying trajectories of hopelessness and examining the role of hopelessness trajectories in the relationship between social connectedness and violence involvement will serve as foundation for innovative, developmentally based nursing interventions designed to prevent youth violence among impoverished, at-risk youth. Details: Minneapolis: University of Minnesota, 2009. 186p. Source: Internet Resource: Dissertation: Accessed September 16, 2015 at: https://conservancy.umn.edu/bitstream/handle/11299/52456/Stoddard_umn_0130E_10325.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y Year: 2009 Country: United States URL: https://conservancy.umn.edu/bitstream/handle/11299/52456/Stoddard_umn_0130E_10325.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y Shelf Number: 136772 Keywords: Adolescence At-Risk Youth Poverty Socioeconomic Conditions and Crime Urban CrimeYouth Violence |
Author: Ahmed, Noman Title: Public and private control and contestation of public space amid violent conflict in Karachi Summary: Few cities in South Asia have been affected by violence more than Karachi, Pakistan's largest city and economic centre. This working paper examines the impacts of the city's declining security situation on the control and contestation of public space. It focuses specifically on the efforts of public and private actors to protect themselves through the widespread use of physical barriers as a form of conflict infrastructure. To help provide a way forward, recommendations are presented for planning and managing barriers more effectively and equitably, and for supporting alternative means of security for the poorest and most insecure groups. Particular attention is paid to the city's ethnic and religious/sectarian politics and the limited capacity of the authorities, and their difficulties in maintaining neutrality in attempting to intervene. Details: London: International Institute for Environment and Development, 2015. 41p. Source: Internet Resource: IIED Working Paper: Accessed January 28, 2016 at: http://pubs.iied.org/pdfs/10752IIED.pdf Year: 2015 Country: Pakistan URL: http://pubs.iied.org/pdfs/10752IIED.pdf Shelf Number: 137701 Keywords: Public SafetyPublic SpaceUrban AreasUrban CrimeViolenceViolent Crime |
Author: Peirce, Jennifer Title: Gap Analysis Report: Citizen Security in Belize Summary: In the face of rising crime rates and increasingly complex transnational and local criminal dynamics, Belize's limited institutional resources are overstretched. Youth violence and gangs are of particular concern in urban areas, where lack of education and employment options converge with the prevalence of guns and trafficking networks. Despite some promising smaller-scale crime prevention initiatives, a comprehensive crime prevention strategy requires more significant institutional reforms. This Technical Note reviews the current trends in crime and violence in Belize and the government's existing policies and programs in the sector. It then proposes several short and medium-term actions to strengthen the government's ability to prevent and reduce crime and violence, such as consolidating strategic planning and information management efforts, designing prevention programs more tailored to specific at-risk groups, bolstering criminal investigation and community policing resources, and adapting the corrections system to the specific needs of juveniles and gang-involved youth. Details: Washington, DC: Inter-American Development Bank, 2013. 33p. Source: Internet Resource: Technical Note No. IDB -TN-572: Accessed March 21, 2016 at: http://www.vanderbilt.edu/lapop/news/102313.AB-Belize-IADB.pdf Year: 2013 Country: Belize URL: http://www.vanderbilt.edu/lapop/news/102313.AB-Belize-IADB.pdf Shelf Number: 138354 Keywords: CrimeCrime PreventionCrime RatesPublic SafetyUrban CrimeYouth GangsYouth Violence |
Author: Males, Mike Title: Is Proposition 47 to Blame for California's 2015 Increase in Urban Crime? Summary: In November 2014, nearly 60 percent of California's electorate voted to pass Proposition 47. This proposition made substantial sentencing reforms by reducing certain nonviolent, non-serious offenses, such as minor drug possession and shoplifting, from felonies to misdemeanors (CJCJ, 2014). Because the changes made by the new law applied retroactively, incarcerated people serving felony sentences for offenses affected by Proposition 47 were eligible to apply for resentencing to shorten their sentences or to be released outright. Those who already completed felony sentences for Proposition 47 offenses could also apply to change their criminal records to reflect the reforms. Critics of Proposition 47 contended it would increase crime by releasing those convicted of dangerous or violent felonies early. Opponents also suggested that reducing the severity of sentences for certain felonies would fail to deter people from committing crimes or completing court-ordered probation requirements. In the initial months following the passage of Proposition 47, California's jail population dropped by about 9,000 between November 2014 and March 2015 (the most recent date for which county jail figures are available at this time) (BSCC, 2016). State prisons reported over 4,500 releases attributed to Proposition 47 (CDCR, 2016), for a total incarcerated population decline of more than 6 percent - a substantial decrease. Similar to the initial year after Public Safety Realignment took effect, January-June 2015 saw general increases in both violent and property crime in California's cities with populations of 100,000 or more (Table 1). During this period, homicide and burglary showed slight declines, while other Part I violent and property offenses experienced increases. Is Proposition 47 to blame for the increases in reported urban crimes? This report tests this question by comparing changes in crime rates, from January-June 2014 and January-June 2015, in California's 68 largest cities to changes in: (a) county jail populations and (b) Proposition 47-related discharges and releases from prison to resentencing counties. Details: San Francisco: Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice, 2016. 8p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 29, 2016 at: http://www.cjcj.org/uploads/cjcj/documents/proposition_47_and_urban_crime_2015.pdf Year: 2016 Country: United States URL: http://www.cjcj.org/uploads/cjcj/documents/proposition_47_and_urban_crime_2015.pdf Shelf Number: 138458 Keywords: Crime RatesCrime StatisticsNeighborhoods and CrimeProposition 47Urban Crime |
Author: Jensen, Steffen Title: Violence and community activism in Vrygrond, South Africa Summary: This study project is a partnership between the Community Healing Network (CHN) in Vrygrond, Cape Town and the Rehabilitation and Research Centre for Torture Victims in Copenhagen (RCT). The project has two basic objectives: 1) To conduct a study exploring 1) levels of crime and violence in Vrygrond, Cape Town; 2) the period of xenophobic violence in Vrygrond in May 2008, and 3) what community action was taken to prevent the violence. 2) To understand how the events around May 2008 could be prevented using a community activist model like the one employed by the Community Healing Network, which is one of the authoring organizations of this report. In meeting the first objective, we employed a host of qualitative and quantitative methods, including a violence survey with 517 randomly selected households/- respondents and a study population of 2363 in Vrygrond, interviews with victims of the xenophobic violence and focus group discussions with community activists and community members participating in the data collection. Although it is difficult to collect data in Vrygrond because of security concerns and lack of trust, credible and interesting data was collected by members of the community and analyzed by CHN and RCT. This is s a testimony to the value of actively integrating community members in research projects as partners rather than as research subjects. The quantitative analysis shows an image of a deeply divided, poor and violent community with few state resources, minimal trust in the state or one's neighbours, and endemic intergroup conflicts which are fed by highly derogatory stereotypes on all sides. In many ways, Vrygrond should have experienced xenophobic violence in May 2008. However, the report shows that the direct victimization of violence in Vrygrond during May 2008 was insignificant. Among 517 household respondents, no one had been direct victims of violence during that time. To explore the very real suffering that could not be captured statistically, the report developed a distinction between primary, secondary and tertiary victimization. In the survey, primary victims of the violence provide a measure of the quantitative levels of violence in the general population. Secondary victimization includes those who directly knew people that were affected. Finally, tertiary victimization included all those that felt endangered by the violence because of who they were. The report concludes that the risks of violence are associated with local dynamics around leadership, perceptions of violence as legitimate and gender dimensions. This goes against many other explanations that focus on general structures of poverty, border control and other factors. However, only local dynamics explain why the violence in Vrygrond was relatively low. Finally, the report explores how local dynamics and local activism played itself out in the context of the xenophobic violence. We identified a number of community structures, practices and activities that seemed to have insulated Vrygrond against the worst excesses of the violence: no community authority that legitimised violence, a multiplicity of institutional and individual actors, early warning, interventions of important female community members, activities like feeding programmes and prayer meetings that broke the isolation of non-South Africans, and a constructive relationship to the police who acted according to their prerogative to protect. Perhaps the most important conclusion from the analysis is that individuals demonstrated enormous courage when they risked standing against the xenophobic violence that had enveloped the country. Despite the fact that Vrygrond is a highly divided community, many people acted according to a basic humanity that would dispel the notion that "all South Africans are evil" (as one respondent reflected after the violence). To address the second objective of the study project, the report compares the lessons that could be made regarding preventive community activism with the model and history of the Community Healing Network. The report finds that in many ways CHN is an appropriate model of community healing and prevention of violence. It creates a democratic opportunity for engagement across intrinsic affiliations; because it includes both specialists from NGO's and universities and community members, it serves as the "honest broker" between the state and the community in other contexts. However, CHN is faced with a number of challenges: lack of institutional permanence, lop-sided representation, constant demands for survival needs among the community members, and a historically based antagonistic relationship to the state apparatus. If the challenges are faced, there are clear advantages in developing the model and putting it into practice in Vrygrond and elsewhere. Details: Copenhagen: Rehabilitation and Research Centre for Torture Victims, 2011. 106p. Source: Internet Resource: RCT International Publication Series No. 1: Accessed June 10, 2016 at: Accessed June 10, 2016 at: http://doc.rct.dk/doc/mon2011.160.pdf Year: 2011 Country: South Africa URL: http://doc.rct.dk/doc/mon2011.160.pdf Shelf Number: 139361 Keywords: Communities and crimeHate CrimesTortureUrban CrimeViolenceViolent Crime |
Author: Aqil, Nauman Title: Residents' perceptions of neighborhood violence and communal responses: the case of two neighborhoods in Lahore, Pakistan Summary: The preponderance of violence in metropolises has been a persistent concern for successive governments in Pakistan. However, it is pertinent to remark that there are often significant variations in the occurrence of violence between physically and socially similar neighborhoods in a single city. I set out to study one more violent and one less violent neighborhood in Lahore, Pakistan, to try to understand how community organizations, physical characteristics and the residents' strategies for crime prevention and control are related to different levels of criminal violence. A qualitative approach was used (in-depth interviews were conducted with community residents in each neighborhood). I found that spatial dynamics, population heterogeneity, and a lack of social cohesion were important predictors of criminal violence. It was noted that patterns of social interaction among neighbors have undergone significant change over the past few decades. In addition, local strategies of informal social control were limited to random vigilance, settlement of sporadic disputes within community settings, and surveillance of children's activities. I concluded that indigenous means of informal social control can help prevent, or at least control, criminal violence in neighborhoods Details: Beilefeld, Germany: Universitat Bielefeld, 2015. 42p. Source: Internet Resource: Violence Research and Development Project, Papers, no. 1: Accessed June 11, 2016 at: http://www.uni-bielefeld.de/icvr/docs/aqil.pdf Year: 2015 Country: Pakistan URL: http://www.uni-bielefeld.de/icvr/docs/aqil.pdf Shelf Number: 139374 Keywords: Communities and CrimeNeighborhoods and CrimeSocial CohesionUrban CrimeViolenceViolent Crime |
Author: Hoelscher, Kristian Title: Understanding Unlikely Successes in Urban Violence Reduction Summary: The problems of violence in Latin America are often reiterated, yet understanding how and why violence declines is far less common. While urban violence takes different forms and has a range of motivations, we suggest that strengthening political and social institutions are important in violence reduction processes. The article examines this using a comparative analysis of two cities which have recently seen unusual and marked reductions in lethal violence: Bogota in Colombia and Recife in Brazil. Drawing on primary data collection, the case studies suggest improvements in public security are linked with institutionalising progressive security policies, increasing accountability of political institutions, and social reforms encouraging civic values and commitments to non-violence. While findings are specific to these two cases, they may plausibly apply to a broader range of cities, such that commitments to improve public policy and political institutions can overcome structural risk factors that foster violence. Details: Unpublished paper, 2014. 21p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 11, 2016 at: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2461064 Year: 2014 Country: Latin America URL: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2461064 Shelf Number: 139395 Keywords: Public SecurityUrban AreasUrban CrimeUrban ViolenceViolent Crime |
Author: Erdogan, Aygun Title: Exploring Crime in a Spatial and Temporal Context: Suitable Response Strategies for Urban Planning and Policing by the Case of Etlik Police Station Zone Summary: This study explores incidents in a spatial and temporal context to achieve suitable strategies for urban planning and policing in crime prevention/reduction. For this purpose, " space " and " time " related incidents are analyzed through " new crime ecology " theories within the designed "loose-coupled" GIS-based system at "mezo"-"micro" ecological levels in a case area within Ankara Metropolis, in 2000. Its main argument is that incidents display differences in the spatial and/or temporal distribution among planned , squatter , and in-transition settlements. In exploring distribution of incidents at global and local scales , it also searches the validity and critical adaptability of the new theories developed/practiced in North American and European countries. In line with new theories , incidents at global scale displayed clustering in space and time. Generally, incidents in aggregate, concentrated mostly in planned ; less in in-transition ; least in squatter areas; and particularly during spring-summer months. However, inc idents against people and against property predominated respectively in squatter and planned areas, and between 18:00-00:00, and 00:00-08:00. As for local scale , incidents in aggregate, displayed spatial interaction ( clustering ), but no space-time interaction . Spatial distribution in time suggested that incidents persistently occur mainly in planned areas. Incidents against property displayed highest level of spatial , and also temporal clustering at global scale ; and particularly spatial clustering (particularly for commercial burglaries/thefts) and space-time clustering (for residential burglaries) at local scale. Complementarily, relatively homogenous global scale spatial distribution of incidents against people is accompanied by their non local scale spatial clustering or space-time clustering , whereby space-time dispersion was observed for simple batteries. Details: Ankara, Turkey: Middle East Technical University, 2007. 321p. Source: Internet Resource: Dissertation: Accessed July 11, 2016 at: https://etd.lib.metu.edu.tr/upload/3/12608961/index.pdf Year: 2007 Country: Turkey URL: https://etd.lib.metu.edu.tr/upload/3/12608961/index.pdf Shelf Number: 139607 Keywords: Community PolicingCPTEDCrime PreventionPlace-Based PolicingSpatial Analysis of CrimeUrban Crime |
Author: di Bella, Enrico Title: A multivariate analysis of the space syntax output for the definition of strata in street security surveys Summary: Although the connection between crime and urban layout is generally evident, surveys inquiring that relationship are often facing two different problems: areas with high criminality are often inhabited by partially elusive populations (being stowaways) and the urban structure (e.g. length and width of streets) quickly changes even after a few corners. In this work a combination of two techniques well known in their specific field is proposed to define a simple two-stages sampling design. Space Syntax is a set of measurements which are done on the topographic maps of a town with the division of all the roads into segments, called axes. Using multivariate techniques, these axes can be classified on the basis of a homogeneity criterion obtaining the strata for a two-stages sampling design. Details: Genova, Italy: Universit degli Studi di Genova , 2013. 40p. Source: Internet Resource: DEP Series of Economic Working Papers no. 5: Accessed October 14, 2016 at: http://www.dep.unige.it/RePEc/gea/wpaper/dwpo-5-sep2011.pdf Year: 2013 Country: International URL: http://www.dep.unige.it/RePEc/gea/wpaper/dwpo-5-sep2011.pdf Shelf Number: 144801 Keywords: CPTEDCrime PreventionDesign Against CrimeStreet LayoutsUrban AreasUrban Crime |
Author: Braga, Anthony A. Title: The Police and Public Discourse on "Black-on-Black" Violence Summary: Research has long documented that most violence occurs within racial groups and that black Americans - often victimized by black offenders - experience disproportionately high levels of violent crime. The authors argue that the term "black-on-black" violence, while statistically correct, is a simplistic and emotionally-charged definition of urban violence that can be problematic when used by political commentators, politicians, and police executives. Because the police represent the most visible face of government and have primary responsibility for maintaining public safety in all neighborhoods, Braga and Brunson contend that police executives in particular should avoid framing urban violence problems in this way. Details: Cambridge, MA: Harvard Kennedy School, Program on Criminal Justice Policy and Management, 2015. 24p. Source: Internet Resource: New Perspectives in Policing: Accessed November 14, 2016 at: http://www.nccpsafety.org/assets/files/library/The_Police_and_Public_Discourse_on_Black-on-Black_Violence.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United States URL: http://www.nccpsafety.org/assets/files/library/The_Police_and_Public_Discourse_on_Black-on-Black_Violence.pdf Shelf Number: 146645 Keywords: Minorities and CrimeUrban Areas and CrimeUrban CrimeUrban ViolenceViolent Crime |
Author: Olarte Bacares, Carlos Augusto Title: Impact of urban public transport enhancements on crime rate: a diff-diff analysis for the case of Transmilenio Summary: One of the biggest questions of agglomerations today focuses on the problem of the public transport supply. To deal with this, Bogota has developed a new urban transport system that has had worldwide recognition since 2000: Transmilenio. While most studies have focused on studying the impact of this new public transport system with respect to the environment, hedonic prices, employment and urbanism, among others, none (except one) have studied the question of the evolution of crime linked to the existence of Transmilenio. The aim of this article is to demonstrate that the evolution of urban transport, which is traduced on the construction and on the improvements of Transmilenio, has had a direct impact on the crime rates in the city. By collecting a set of spatially referenced data regarding crimes in 112 of the 117 planning zones that make up the city, this research follows a differences-in-differences methodology to test the causality of the transport system in the evolution of crime rates in each zone for different periods. After a deep descriptive analysis of data and the implementation of the econometric methodology suggested, results indicate that enhancement of the public transport system has had no clear impact on crime rates in all zones of the city. Depending on the zones and on the Transmilenio line in question, the transport system may increase or decrease the number of crimes on each zone beneficiaries or not from the improvement of the system. However, this research gives a non-negligible number of hints to take in consideration on further studies. Details: Paris: University of Paris, Centre for Economics, 2013. 23p. Source: Internet Resorure: MPRA Paper No. 53967: Accessed December 8, 2016 at: https://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/53967/1/MPRA_paper_53967.pdf Year: 2013 Country: France URL: https://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/53967/1/MPRA_paper_53967.pdf Shelf Number: 140353 Keywords: Transit CrimeTransit SafetyTransportation and CrimeUrban Areas and CrimeUrban Crime |
Author: Litman, Todd Title: Safer Than You Think! Revising the transit safety narrative Summary: Public transportation is overall safe (low crash risk) and secure (low crime risk). Transit travel has about a tenth the traffic casualty (death or injury) rates as automobile travel, and residents of transit-oriented communities have about a fifth the per capita traffic fatality rate as do residents of automobile-oriented communities. Transit also tends to have lower crime rates than automobile travel, large cities with high transit ridership tend to have lower crime rates than more automobile-oriented cities, and transit service improvements can further increase security by increasing surveillance and improving impoverished people’s economic opportunities. Despite its overall safety and security, many people consider transit dangerous and so are reluctant to use it or support transit service expansions in their communities. Various factors contribute to this excessive fear, including the nature of public transit travel, heavy media coverage of transit-related crashes and crimes, and conventional traffic safety messages which emphasize risks rather than safety. Public officials and transit agencies can help create a new transit safety narrative by developing better risk evaluation tools, better communicating public transit’s overall safety and health benefits, and providing better guidance concerning how transit users and communities can enhance safety and security. Details: Victoria, Canada: Victoria Transport Policy Institute, 2013. 54p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 22, 2017 at: http://www.vtpi.org/safer.pdf Year: 2013 Country: International URL: http://www.vtpi.org/safer.pdf Shelf Number: 147426 Keywords: Mass TransitPublic TransportationTransit CrimeTransit SecurityUrban Crime |
Author: Carriazo, Fernando Title: Arborizacion Y Crimen Urbano En Bogota (Trees and Urban Crime in Bogota) Summary: The relationship between vegetation and crime has been the subject of recent research among urban scholars. Using data for developed countries, the literature recognizes that vegetation has a positive effect on human health but it states that it may be positively related to certain type of criminal activities. This study is the first effort to quantify the relationship between planting trees and thefts in an emerging country. Based on census and geo-referenced data of trees in Bogot (Colombia), it is possible to establish that the process of afforestation has a positive effect on the criminality of the city. Specifically, spatial econometric techniques show that the act of planting trees has a negative effect on theft. Details: Bogota: Economics Department at Los Andes University, 2016. 27p. Source: Internet Resource: Documento CEDE No. 2016-37: Accessed May 10, 2017 at: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2940428 (Full report available in Spanish) Year: 2016 Country: Colombia URL: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2940428 Shelf Number: 135402 Keywords: Environmental CriminologyUrban Areas and CrimeUrban CrimeVegetation |
Author: Economist Intelligence Unit Title: Safe Cities Index 2017: Security in a rapidly urbanising world Summary: In many respects it's the very success of cities, in their role as global social and economic hubs, that makes them more vulnerable. As rural residents head for the city in developing countries-which for purposes here we define as non-OECD countries, with the exception of Singapore-and wealthy global capitals draw in international talent, vast demographic shifts are creating cities with previously unimagined population sizes. In 2016, there were 31 megacities-cities with more than 10m inhabitants. This is projected to rise to 41 by 2030. And size matters. While cities generate economic activity, the security challenges they face expand and intensify as their populations rise. These include growing pressure on housing supply (prompting the spread of slums) and services such as healthcare, transport, and water and power infrastructure. Man-made risks are also growing. As tragic recent events in European cities such as London, Paris and Barcelona have demonstrated, high profile, wealthy urban centres are becoming targets for terrorist activities. And as income divides widen, growing inequalities can create tensions that contribute to violent outbursts such as the 2011 London riots. Meanwhile, another major shift has come to the fore: the rapid deployment of digital technologies in pursuit of the so-called "smart city". The technologies no doubt bring benefits. As part of Internet of Things (IoT) technologies, sensors collect and wirelessly transmit data from physical objects, delivering new insights into city operations and permitting remote and more efficient management of infrastructure and services. Connecting apartments and office buildings to the electricity grid via smart meters, for example, delivers energy efficiency and cost savings. And with the spread of closed-circuit televisions (CCTVs) and webcams around cities, technologies such as artificial intelligence and data analytics can greatly enhance the capabilities of law enforcement agencies to combat urban crime and terrorism. Yet the rush to embrace smart city technologies also creates vulnerabilities if investments in digital technologies are not accompanied by commensurate investments in cyber security. Wealthy cities are making investments, albeit to varying degrees, but security often comes lower on the list of spending priorities for cities with already stretched finances. The consequences of neglecting cyber security could be dire. For example, if hackers were to shut down the power supply, an entire city would be left in chaos. This prospect is something city officials now need to plan against. Cities are also defined by the complex, interlinked nature of their systems and infrastructure. This complexity has a bearing on safety. For example, experts are uncovering links between the quality of housing and the health of citizens. And while terrorist attacks are what make headlines, traffic accidents are a greater day-to-day danger for urban residents. Natural forces are also coming in to play as climate change poses new risks to cities, with extreme weather events becoming an even greater threat, as illustrated by the devastation Hurricane Harvey just delivered to Houston, Texas. The 2017 Safe Cities Index retains the four categories of security from the 2015 version- digital, health, infrastructure and physical. However, we have added six new indicators and expanded the index to cover 60 cities, up from 50 in 2015. Details: London: The Economist, 2017. 44p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 2, 2018 at: https://dkf1ato8y5dsg.cloudfront.net/uploads/5/82/safe-cities-index-eng-web.pdf Year: 2017 Country: International URL: https://dkf1ato8y5dsg.cloudfront.net/uploads/5/82/safe-cities-index-eng-web.pdf Shelf Number: 148969 Keywords: CitiesCybersecuritySecurityUrban AreasUrban Crime |
Author: Economist Intelligence Unit Title: Safe Cities Index 2015: Assessing urban security in the digital age Summary: Cities are already home to a majority of people on the planet. The current level of urbanisation ranges from 82% of the population in North America to 40% in Africa. But all regions are expected to follow this trend towards greater urbanisation over the next three decades. Lagos, the most populous city Nigeria, is predicted to double in size in the next 15 years. However, cities should not take continued population growth for granted. As the UN's latest World Urbanisation Prospects study points out, some cities have experienced population decline because of, among other things, low fertility rates, economic contraction and natural disasters. The population of Seoul, the capital of South Korea, has shrunk by 800,000 since 1990. Likewise, the safety of cities can ebb and flow. New York recorded a record high of 2,245 homicides in 1990, equating to six murders per day. Since then the population has grown by over 1m people, while homicide rates have fallen. The murder rate in 2013 stood at 335, a historic low, moving New York below Chicago-a city with under one-third of New York's population. As some threats recede, others mature. The frequency of terrorism and natural disasters has changed the nature of urban safety: power, communications and transport systems must be robust and able to withstand new external shocks. Meanwhile, new risks emerge. Cyber risk has accompanied the advent of the digital age. Urban safety is therefore a critical issue that is set to become even more important over time. Securing public safety means addressing a wide-and evolving-range of risks. The Safe Cities Index aims to capture this complexity. The Index tracks the relative safety of a city across four categories: digital security, health security, infrastructure safety and personal safety. The Index's key findings include the following. l Tokyo tops the overall ranking. The world's most populous city is also the safest in the Index. The Japanese capital performs most strongly in the digital security category, three points ahead of Singapore in second place. Meanwhile, Jakarta is at the bottom of the list of 50 cities in the Index. The Indonesian capital only rises out of the bottom five places in the health security category (44). l Safety is closely linked to wealth and economic development. Unsurprisingly, a division emerges in the Index between cities in developed markets, which tend to fall into the top half of the overall list, and cities in developing markets, which appear in the bottom half. Significant gaps in safety exist along these lines within regions. Rich Asian cities (Tokyo, Singapore and Osaka) occupy the top three positions in the Index, while poorer neighbours (Ho Chi Minh City and Jakarta) fill two of the bottom three positions. l However, wealth and ample resources are no guarantee of urban safety. Four of the five Middle Eastern cities in the Index are considered high-income, but only one makes it into the top half of the Index: at 25 Abu Dhabi is 21 places above Riyadh at number 46. Similar divides between cities of comparable economic status exist elsewhere. Seoul is 23 positions below Tokyo in the overall ranking (and 46 places separate the two on digital security). l US cities perform most strongly in the digital security category, while Europe struggles. New York is the only US city to make it into the top ten of the overall index (at 10). However, it is third for digital security, with three of the four other US cities in the Index (Los Angeles, San Francisco and Chicago) joining it in the top ten. Meanwhile, European cities perform relatively poorly. London, at 16, is the highest-ranking European entry in the digital security index; Rome is the lowest, at 35. l Leaders in digital security must not overlook real-world risks. Los Angeles falls from 6th place in digital security to 23rd for personal safety. San Francisco suffers a similar drop, falling from 8th to 21st. For these cities-both home to high-tech industries-a focus on technology and cyber security does not seem to be matched by success in combating physical crime. Urban safety initiatives need to straddle the digital and physical realms as the divide between them blurs. l Technology is now on the frontline of urban safety, alongside people. Data are being used to tackle crime, monitor infrastructure and limit the spread of disease. As some cities pursue smarter methods of preventing- rather than simply reacting to-these diverse security threats, a lack of data in emerging markets could exacerbate the urban safety divide between rich and poor. Nonetheless, investment in traditional safety methods, such as bolstering police visibility, continues to deliver positive results from Spain to South Africa. l Collaboration on safety is critical in a complex urban environment. Now that a growing number of essential systems are interconnected, city experts stress the need to bring together representatives from government, business and the community before threats to safety and security strike. Some cities have appointed an official to co-ordinate this citywide resilience. With the evolution of online threats transcending geographical boundaries, such co-ordination will increasingly be called for between cities. l Being statistically safe is not the same as feeling safe. Out of the 50 cities, only Zurich and Mexico City get the same rank in the overall index as they do in the indicator that measures the perception of safety among their citizens. Urban citizens in the US, for instance, tend to feel less safe than they should, based on their city's position in the Index. The challenge for city leaders is to translate progress on safety into changing public perceptions. But cities also aspire to be attractive places to live in. So smart solutions, such as intelligent lighting, should be pursued over ubiquitous cameras or gated communities. Details: London: The Economist, 2015. 42p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 5, 2018 at: https://dkf1ato8y5dsg.cloudfront.net/uploads/5/82/eiu-safe-cities-index-2015-white-paper-1.pdf Year: 2015 Country: International URL: https://dkf1ato8y5dsg.cloudfront.net/uploads/5/82/eiu-safe-cities-index-2015-white-paper-1.pdf Shelf Number: 148988 Keywords: Cities Cybersecurity SecurityUrban Areas Urban Crime |
Author: Males, Mike Title: Urban Crime Declines in 2018: A Positive Trend in California's Justice Reform Era (2010-2018) Summary: A new fact sheet from the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice finds that, during a period of large-scale criminal justice reform including Proposition 47 and Public Safety Realignment, California's urban crime rates have declined. The report compares recently released FBI crime statistics on 73 cities for the first six months of 2018 to early-year crime data for the prior eight years. The fact sheet finds: California experienced a 5 percent decline in its total urban crime in the first half of 2018, including a nearly 13 percent decline in the rate of homicide and a 9.5 percent drop in the rate of motor vehicle theft. The state's urban crime rate in early 2018 is the third lowest ever recorded, as rates have declined precipitously in recent decades. These historically low urban crime rates have persisted through an era of justice reform. Local crime trends vary city to city, with most of California's 73 largest cities seeing declines in crime from 2017 to 2018. Overall, 17 cities reported increased total crime during this one-year period, and 56 cities showed decreases. Details: San Francisco: Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice, 2019. 5p. Source: Accessed April 15, 2019 at: http://www.cjcj.org/uploads/cjcj/documents/urban_crime_declines_california_justice_reform_era.pdf Year: 2019 Country: United States URL: http://www.cjcj.org/uploads/cjcj/documents/urban_crime_declines_california_justice_reform_era.pdf Shelf Number: 155422 Keywords: Crime Rates Crime Statistics Criminal Justice Reform Urban Crime |
Author: Wuschke, Kathryn Elizabeth Title: Planning for Crime: Exploring the Connections Between Urban Space, Development, and Patterns of Crime Summary: The built urban environment influences the spatial distribution of criminal activity. Common activity nodes are clustered in specific urban locales, drawing individuals from within and beyond municipal boundaries for legitimate, daily needs. These key nodes are connected via the street network, and are typically concentrated along major routes. Such built urban features form the origins, destinations, and pathways used by residents and visitors alike, thereby facilitating the intersection of potential offenders and targets in both space and time. Crime events have repeatedly been found to concentrate at and near key features within the built environment, though the specific patterns of clustering can vary by urban locale and urban feature. This compilation of three inter-related studies explores the connections between crime and the physical landscape within a relatively under-studied research environment: mid-sized suburban municipalities. The first study contributes a multi-scale locally based exploration of the land use and road types associated with disproportionate crime rates. These results direct the second investigation, which analyses the areas beyond each local attractor to identify whether crime concentrates in these micro-spaces as well. The final contribution applies these locally-identified relationships within a prototype modeling framework to investigate the potential impact that urban growth and development may have on both crime, and the need for police resourcing. The collective results from this work emphasize the importance of locally-based, micro-scale analysis when exploring connections between crime and the urban environment. It further highlights the need for consideration of these results within planning and policy environments, and proposes a preliminary approach to facilitate this connection. Details: British Columbia, Canada: Simon Fraser University, 2016. 150p. Source: Internet Resource Dissertation: Accessed May 23, 2019 at: http://summit.sfu.ca/item/16308 Year: 2016 Country: Canada URL: http://summit.sfu.ca/item/16308 Shelf Number: 156060 Keywords: Activity Nodes Crime Crime and Space Land Use Police Resourcing Spatial Analysis Urban Crime |