Crime PreventionCrime Prevention

Assessment ToolAssessment Tool

What is philosophy of this Crime Prevention Assessment Tool?

• Is joint assessment tool developed by UNODC and UN-HABITAT• Is designed as a full component of the Criminal Justice

Assessment Toolkit (CJAT) developed by UNODC since 2006• It should be used in conjunction with the main toolkit

This tool is a first crucial step in the direction of more integrated and effective responses by the international community to the challenges of crime prevention

What is Crime Prevention?

Crime Prevention…“comprising strategies and measures that seek to reduce the risk of crimes occurring, and their potential harmful effects on individuals and society, including fear of crime, by intervening to influence their multiple causes.” (UN Guidelines for the Prevention of Crime, 2002)

• Crime and violence have multiple causes (social, economic, environmental factors…) and many actors can impact crime levels

• Criminal Justice System alone is not sufficient to prevent crime• Strategies for preventing and reducing crime and victimization

must be pro-active (as opposed to reactive)

Crime prevention is a multi-sectoral and integrated endeavour

Why assess crime prevention needs?

“In matter of justice and the rule of law, an ounce of prevention is worth significantly more than a pound of cure… prevention is the first imperative of justice.” (Report of the Secretary General, the rule of law and transitional justice in conflict and post-conflict societies. Doc. S/2004/616 §4)

• Crime affects the quality of life of citizens, destroys social and human capital, discourages investment, and undermines development and democracy

• It’s not sufficient to increase the efficiency and capacity of the justice system or to train the police and prison staff

Well-planned strategies and programmes can be cost-effective, and cost-beneficial

What the assessment tool is for?

It’s a dynamic tool to enable United Nations agencies, donor organizations and governments, national government officials involved in crime prevention development, and other organizations and actors to:

• Undertake an assessment of crime prevention needs• Identify areas requiring technical assistance• Assist agencies to design interventions which integrate the

United Nations standards and norms on crime prevention• To assist in training on these issues

To assess the immediate, short-term, medium, and long-term needs and priorities of a country

But… What is it?

The assessment tool is not designed as a rigid guide or checklist, but as the basis for developing an initial contextualized assessment

• Based on a set of questions concerning issues such as existing socio-economic and crime concerns, data sources, problems and capacities

• It provides examples of the range of issues to be covered• It provides examples of the key players who need to be consulted

(e.g. federal or central, sub-regional and local authorities)

It’s a practical guide for assessors examining crime prevention needs at the national and local levels

How to undertake a crime prevention assessment?

1) To assess needs and priorities, the basic questions in the assessment tool look at:

• Where are responsibilities for crime prevention located?• What stage a country has reached in developing its prevention capacities?• What exists already in terms of components of a strategic approach (laws, policies,

departmental responsibility, funding, training, monitoring system, etc.)?• What are the major crime concerns which the country has, or wishes to tackle?• What are the main vulnerable populations at greatest risk of crime and victimization?• What are the main areas of concentration of crime problems (rural, urban…)?• What are the main urban concerns affecting the incidence of crime?• What are the main rural concerns affecting the incidence of crime?• What is the existing capacity to develop and sustain strategic crime prevention?• What exists in terms of recent or current technical assistance?

How to undertake a crime prevention assessment?

2) To answer… the assessment tool outlines a series of 10 overall areas of investigation:

• Country overview information – including data sources and legal frameworks• Existing national prevention frameworks and capacities• State of provincial strategies and capacities• Local strategies and capacities• Research and knowledge base• Partnerships and coordination capacities• Sustainability, monitoring and evaluation• Specific crime concerns and issues• Specific vulnerable groups• Management and coordination

Each area lists a series of questions to guide the assessment process

How to undertake a crime prevention assessment?

3) …and suggests referring to:

• A list of key resources (annex A)• An assessor’s guide and checklist (annex B)• Criminal Justice Assessment Toolkit (CJAT) on Policing,

Access to Justice, Custodial and Non-Custodial Measures, Cross-Cutting Issues

• The Introduction section to the CJAT (especially…)– Using the Tools– General Guidelines for Conducting Assessments

What norms and standards to apply to crime prevention?

1) In practice, action plans have to distinguish two levels and must respect the use of:(1995 UN guidelines for Cooperation and Technical Assistance in the Field of Urban Crime Prevention)

• A local approach to problems including the use of:– A local diagnostic survey or safety audit of crime problems– Identifying relevant actors who should be involved– Setting up local consultation mechanisms– Developing possible solutions to respond to local problems identified

• An integrated crime prevention action plan which should:– Define the type and nature of crime problems and their causes– Set out the objectives to be achieved in a given time scale– The action envisaged and who should be responsible for implementing the plan– Consider all the actors to be involved apart from the justice sector, from elected officials,

social workers…– Consider the relevance of crime prevention for each of these sectors– Consider primary prevention action and the prevention of recidivism and protection of victims

What norms and standards to apply to crime prevention?

2) The guidelines also spell out the range of approaches to crime prevention:

• Social development and community-centred prevention• Situational approaches• Social reintegration

Prevention encompasses a wide range of approaches including social development, community integration, urban renewal and situational prevention and reintegration

What norms and standards to apply to crime prevention?

3) The guidelines 2002 outlines eight basic principles on which crime prevention action should be based:

• Government leadership• Socio-economic development and inclusion• Cooperation and partnerships• Sustainability and accountability• Knowledge base• Human rights/rule of law/culture of lawfulness• Interdependency• Differentiation

Fundamental to the development of crime prevention strategies is the existence of the rule of law, and recognition of the human rights of individuals, and the uses of policies which are inclusive of all sectors and groups in society

Key areas of an assessment

Overview

• Statistical background data: What is the population size? What is the rate of growth? Democratic profile? Corruption at government and institutional levels?...

– Refers to Cross-Cutting Issues (CJAT)– The Human Development Index (HDI) and the Gini coefficient can be used

• Data source & crime prevention performance indicators: Does the national government or/and local authorities have/use information about numbers of crimes reported to the police? Violence-related injuries and deaths by hospitals? Reported levels of fear and insecurity?...

– It’s important to validate figures against other data sources (The ICVS, IVAWS, local safety audits…)

– See also Cross-Cutting Issues/ module 3: Victims and Witness

• Legal and regulatory framework: Has the country enacted any legislation or policy on crime prevention? Are there any departmental guidelines?...

– It may be useful to consult internal or external legal, advocacy groups, non-governmental organizations…

– CJAT Cross-Cutting Issues/ module 1: Criminal Justice Information & Introduction/ Annex on Comparative Legal Systems

National crime prevention framework & capacities

Moving towards a less centralized model, using a problem-solving approach, with local communities and working to gain their trust, will all increase their ability to prevent rather than repress crime

• National Strategy: What is the national government role in crime prevention? Is there a national proactive strategy?...– UN guidelines recommend of a National Crime Prevention Strategy

• National Infrastructure: Which ministries have responsibility for crime prevention/safety and security? Does the private security sector have a major role?...– CJAT Police/ modules 1: Public Safety & Police Service Delivery and 2:

The Integrity and Accountability of the Police for further information on policing

Regional/State/Provincial crime prevention strategies & capacities

States or provinces (in federal countries) or provincial/regional entities (in non-federal countries) may have some authority for crime prevention and safety issues

• Does any state/province have a crime prevention policy or strategy? How are they funded and supported? Who are the key actors with responsibility for the strategy and its implementation and evaluation?...

Local crime prevention strategies & capacities

Some cities or urban areas may have initiated their own crime prevention strategies and programmes

• Do any cities have a crime prevention policy or strategy? Does a local diagnosis and consultative mechanism exist? Who is involved?...– Many of the questions for other levels of government should also be

asked to the local level actors and authorities, depending on the level of decentralization in each context

Research and knowledge base

The existence of reliable base-line data and research, and information on good crime prevention practices, are both important in developing and adapting relevant programmes which target causal factor

– A guidance on Local Safety Audits. A Compendium on International Practice, (by European Forums for Urban Safety and the Government of Canada, 2007)

– Cross-Cutting Issues/ module 1: Criminal Justice Information & Custodial and Non-Custodial Measures/ module 3: Alternatives to Incarceration (CJAT)

• Research: Which institutions/agencies at national, state or local level conduct research on crime, health and social problems? Is there any research on the crime and root causes of violence, common crime and organized crime (drug trafficking, trafficking in persons)?...

• Training and skill development: Are there any training institutions university/educational centers offering syllabi on crime prevention/community safety, recidivism prevention…? Do all relevant stakeholders receive ongoing training in their respective capacities?...

Partnerships and coordination

Partnerships form a central aspect of the UN Guidelines for crime prevention. They entail partnerships horizontally across government departments, vertically between levels of governments, agencies, UN entities, civil society…

• Are there any measures/mechanisms in place to coordinate the different activities of relevant government agencies and ministries dealing with crime prevention? At different levels? Are there any mechanisms in place to work in partnership with international donors?...

Sustainability of crime prevention strategies and programmes

Sustaining crime prevention strategies involves a clear institutional vision and goal-oriented approach

• How much funding is allocated to crime prevention at the national level (compared to the rest of the criminal justice sector…)? Is this time-limited or programme funding, or long-term funding? Are there any public-private partnerships?...– Cross-Cutting Issues/ module 1: Criminal Justice Information & Custodial

and Non-Custodial Measures/ module 3: Alternatives to incarceration (CJAT)

Specific crime issues and perception(Principle of Interdependency)

Different actors may have different experiences and perceptions regarding relative importance of crime concerns. Insecurity and fear of crime may be an issue. It’s important to both contextualize crime and identify the priorities and perceptions of different stakeholders

• Do crime problems relate to border security or transnational crime affecting local crime conditions? Is there concern about institutionalized violence? Human trafficking? Is fear of crime high? Is there insecurity in public spaces?...

Specific groups & specific policies to prevent social exclusion(Principle of differentiation)

Questions seek to identify if there are significant groups or populations exposed at high risk of crime and victimization or who are excluded from policies and decision-making

– Cross-Cutting Issues/ modules 2: Juvenile Justice and 3: Victims and Witnesses & Custodial and Non-Custodial Measures (CJAT)

– UNICEF/UNODC Manual for the Measurement of Juvenile Justice Indicators

• Are there large numbers of street children? Are there significant problems of alcohol and drug use by young people? Are women and girls seen as vulnerable to HIV/AIDS, or trafficking? Are there violent youth gangs?...

• Are there any specific policies at the national, regional, local, level to respond to unemployment, the needs of street children, war affected children, or to counter social exclusion? Are there specific policies to prevent recruitment, or to reintegrate youth gang members?...

Management and coordination

• Overall Coordination: Overall, are there mechanisms which support coordination vertically between national government and lowers levels of government, and across sectors including ministries, institutions, service providers, NGO’s and civil society?...

• Donor Coordination: Which donors are active in the crime prevention sector? Do they work with the national government, state, or local governments? Are any donors targeting white collar crime or corruption?…

• International Cooperation: Is the country engaged in international cooperation for the purpose of crime prevention? What has been the international cooperation experience of the country in the fields of crime prevention, corruption and trafficking?….– Cross-Cutting Issues/ module 4: International Cooperation (CJAT)

Thank you for your kind attention