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The system isn't broken, but with proper planning and
appropriate allocation of resources, it could do much better
Politics is getting in the way of crime prevention
Columnist Dan Gardner ("What crime stats don't tell
us," July 21) is half right when he says that "crime trends are not
driven by criminal justice policies." They are driven by enacting
mutually exclusive, politically motivated policies and practices. Of all
the hot-button issues in politics, arguably none is more purposely
distorted and manipulated than crime and its impact on public safety.
The hard-right line linking punishment to eradication is at best a very
simple answer to an increasingly complicated problem. The left's
marrying of socio-economic circumstances to crime is equally facile.
While both camps scratch the surface of reality,
political entrenchment based on identified constituencies has prevented
either side of the political spectrum from embracing balance and
objectivity. On any given day in Canada, approximately 125,000 people
are assigned to some form of community supervision. An additional 25,000
to 30,000 individuals are incarcerated, either serving sentences or
awaiting trials.
The system isn't broken, but with proper planning and
appropriate allocation of resources, it could do much better. The key is
to separate fact from emotion and continue to embrace Canadian values
based on balance, fairness and cost-effectiveness.
The objective of managing crime and its real and
perceived impact on public safety requires an integrated and targeted
approach. To achieve full citizenry, people must not only be safe, they
must feel safe enough to fully participate in every aspect of community
life. Perception is as important as reality. When prevention,
intervention and enforcement (PIE) are pursued together -- as opposed to
the traditional silo approach -- they are the keys to successful crime
management, offender habilitation and public safety.
Policy aimed at satisfying an identified constituency
usually results in an overindulgence of one of these approaches at the
expense of the other two. Political leaders who purposely focus on crime
as a wedge issue conveniently distort reality and risk perpetuation of
the status quo. While politicians may gain votes, communities all across
Canada are sacrificed for the sake of political pandering.
Prevention is an often-used but misunderstood concept.
It is usually considered in terms of program development aimed at
specific target groups, commonly related to socio-economic
circumstances. Prevention should be a cradle-to-grave proposition. Those
who engage in antisocial behaviour are considered outside the parameters
of the mainstream. It should come as no surprise that these individuals
consider themselves in a similar fashion.
A review of the literature clearly indicates that the
No. 1 risk factor associated with antisocial behaviour in youth is
inconsistent parenting. Not peers, poverty, or even bad parenting scores
as high when predicting potential for misbehaviour. Fortunately, at-risk
children can be identified early in the school system. Unfortunately,
cost cutting has drastically reduced necessary interventions for both
children and their families. Prevention is inextricably linked to
education and the promotion of pro-social skills. It must occur early in
a child's life and be reinforced through opportunity.
When debate turns to crime prevention or reduced
recidivism, the term "rehabilitate" is often used inappropriately. In
many circumstances, "habilitate" would be the appropriate term, teaching
pro-social and life skills to a segment of the population that never
learned them. Intervention has traditionally included counselling,
supervision and incarceration. Clearly intervention has been employed as
an after-the-fact methodology when attempting to control antisocial
behaviour. More attention must be paid to interventions prior to the
commission of crimes. In that regard, education, recreation and
employment strategies are net positive interventions.
Legislators must also focus on constructing a penal
system that focuses on cognitive intervention and offender skill
development during incarceration. It makes absolutely no sense to detain
for the sole reason of punishment. The majority of offenders are
eventually released back into our communities and for that reason
rehabilitation or habilitation is an integral piece of the corrections
puzzle.
Enforcement is easily the least understood of the
three variables. Those who advocate the merits of this principle also
lobby for tougher sentences, believing that general and specific
deterrence has a positive impact on crime and recidivism. Effective
enforcement does not end with the hiring of more police officers, but
rather recognizes the co-ordinated efforts of all criminal justice
professionals and practitioners working together. Enforcement must also
take into account that each case is unique. Sometimes referred to as the
"yeah, buts" of criminology, enforcement at the sentencing stage
considers mitigating factors associated with each individual.
Take for example mandatory minimum sentencing for gun
crimes. Should a woman who uses a gun against a spouse after years of
abuse be sentenced by the same standard as a drug dealer who guns down a
shopkeeper? Is drug addiction a crime or an illness? Should the mentally
ill be treated differently than those not afflicted?
The obvious answer to these questions discounts the
cookie-cutter approach to sentencing. In this regard appropriate
enforcement determines the type of intervention required. Prevention,
intervention and enforcement are the basis for successful public safety
policy. By remaining in our silos, bunkered by ideology and political
rhetoric, we will continue to produce familiar outcomes and
election-time hyperbole. Lives will be lost or wasted, a nation will
occasionally lament, the pendulum of policy will swing and yet little
will change. That is a crime that must be prevented. It is as easy as
PIE. NUPGE
Bob Eaton, Probation officer, Web posted by NUPGE
16 August 2006
http://www.nupge.ca/news_2006/n16au06z.htm
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