Week 3 - Developmental Crime Prevention PDF

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Developmental Crime Prevention...

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Week 3 – Developmental Crime Prevention Developmental Crime Prevention •

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Developmental crime prevention targets the potential of individuals to become criminal • Basic assumption is that criminal and deviant activity is the result of early life experiences and learning • Focus is not very different from core criminological theories about crime and deviance o Emphasis on what causes individuals to commit deviant acts and what can be done about that activity o Point of divergence is the focus on trying to address the cause early in the process Foundation in the basic ideas of learning theory: Crime results from the behaviors, beliefs and attitudes that are learned primarily, but not exclusively, as youths.

Tremblay and Craig, Theoretical Models: 1. Simplest model is a linear explanation such as Gottfredson and Hirschi’s General Theory of Crime o Assumes that failures in early child rearing by parents lead to low self-control by the individual and a much greater chance that crime and deviance will be expressed 2. Second model assumes multiple pathways to adult offending o Different pathways recognize that youthful misbehavior can take different forms, emerge at different times, and progress into different types of adult offending 3. Third model includes “elements of strain” theories (poverty), biological problems, poor parenting, cognitive deficits, and other factors, all interacting with each other

Risk Factors and Developmental Prevention Recall the WHO ecological model of risk Very broad spectrum of variables and issues that could possibly be addressed Not feasible to try to address every possible factor Reasonable approach is to identify and intervene in those factors that are most likely to influence an individual’s choices and behaviors List of potential risk factors that have been identified for later criminality is extensive and can be grouped into different categories Individual Risk Factors Family Risk Factors

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Low intelligence and Attainment Low empathy Impulsiveness Poor social cognitive skills

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Family criminality Large family size Poor parental supervision Harsh punishment Poor/Cold familial attachment Child abuse and neglect Broken home

• Developmental prevention programs often address crime and delinquency indirectly • These programs look for changes in the risk factor and in intermediate outcomes that appear between the risk factor and later behavior

Various Types of Developmental Prevention • Skills Training: seeks to teach children how to recognize problem situations and react in an appropriate manner, self-control, anger management • Parent Training: programs range from those targeting expectant mothers to those working with families of young children to those addressing families with school age children • Preschool Training: provide students with a positive introduction to education providing basic social skills to children • Mentoring programs: pairing adult (or older youth) volunteers with youths needing friendship, emotional support, guidance, and advice. Examples - Big Brother and Sisters. Pathways to Education (as a local Ottawa example) • Multi-Component Programs: utilize a range of interventions rather than only one or two approaches

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Developmental Concerns • • • •

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Many of the risk factors are really not amenable to change, such as sex and race Require interventions where it may not be feasible to change, especially in any reasonable period of time Concern with identifying risk factors that need to be addressed and that are of secondary concern Do not always fit into primary prevention o Targeting an entire classroom or community does o Addressing only individuals or situations which are at high risk is secondary prevention o Intervention with individuals who have broken the law and targeting reoffending is tertiary Need a relatively long time to have an impact Require a great deal of funding which is often hard to sustain Problem gaining the support of key participants for a lengthy intervention Many individuals and groups (particularly funding agencies and politicians) ask for results in the short-term (if not immediately) that are simply not possible when making basic changes under the developmental model

Life Course History of Gang Members       

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Examined the life course histories of 16 individual males through indepth interviews Institutional supports provided to youth and whether youth were receiving supports. How youth entered gangs and the benefits and challenges of being gang involved. Schools & recreation were key sites for support and integration and they were also places where youth acted out Youth “time out” of recreation programs around age 14 or 15 which is the same age at which they are becoming actively gang involved While all communities have some resources, there were few resources for older youth Poverty was a critical factor in youth becoming gang involved. Most were poor and sought money for subsistence, to help out their families, and, most commonly, so they could have goods that others had Youth involved in gangs were courted and groomed by older men who were already gang involved. These men offered our participants money, drugs, favours, and support in conflicts. Youth sought wealth, status, and safety that gangs offered but gave little consideration to the negative consequences. Getting arrested was viewed as a rite of passage, another measure of your status – that you were a “bad guy”

Differentiating Between Youth Gangs and Street Gangs •

This is important because it has implications for how we perceive and respond to the groups of young people in our communities • The study focussed on those involved in youth gangs and street gangs. • Street gangs - consist of young adults (18 – 30) and some adolescents who have been recruited by the older street gang members to carry out various criminal activities such as carrying or selling drugs. Street gangs are primarily organized to engage in criminal activity and they are often associated with organized crime groups (Dickson-Gilmore and Whitehead, 2002; Kelly and Caputo, 2005). • Youth gangs - include groups of young people who come together in a community or neighbourhood around issues related to status, identity, protection, and power. And while they may engage in criminal activities, this is not their primary purpose (Mathews, 1993).

OPS use the following definition of a gang member. Individual who meets 3 of the below 6 criteria (Criteria #4 must be one of those): 1. Reliable information that a person is a gang member 2. Police officer observes person associating with known gang member(s) 3. Person acknowledges gang membership 4. Person is involved directly or indirectly in a gang motivated crime 5. Court finds the person to be a gang member 6. Person [is] found to be displaying common or symbolic gang identification or paraphernalia (street-name, tattoos, colors) The ACE Study  The ACE Study – probably the most important public health study you never heard of – had its origins in an obesity clinic in San Diego.  Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are categorized into three groups: abuse, neglect, and family/household challenges. Each category is further divided into multiple subcategories. The ACE questionnaire has 10 questions.  Strong relationship between the breadth of exposure to abuse or household dysfunction during childhood and multiple risk factors for several of the leading causes of death in adults.

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 As the number of ACEs increases, so does the risk for these unfavourable outcomes....