News

Dr. Christine Balarezo joins host Alistair Edgar for this Current Issues Podcast on Human Trafficking. Dr. Balarezo disccuses some of the myriad sources and causes of human trafficking. While she distinguishes between general and specific causes she also emphasizes the underlying impact of instability. Other recurrent themes include a tendency of trafficking from poor to rich, human trafficking for forced labour, and a high level of domestic trafficking. She also emphasizes that trafficking does not necessitate movement. While discussing the ways to reduce trafficking, Dr. Balarezo states that the lack of data collection is the largest issue preventing breakthroughs and that research needs to be done in order to create solutions. The discussion also addresses some of the most neglected issues in the study of human trafficking; including organ trafficking, sex trafficking of men, and the role of females as trafficking perpetrators.

20 April 2016The EU Presidency Trio of Italy, Latvia and Luxembourg undertook the following tasks and actions during their respective presidencies.

The Newsletter is a platform for policymakers, practitioners and everyone who is interested in crime prevention

The project INSART Insertion des jeunes défavorisés par l’art managed by a partnership of 4 organisations from Germany (BERLINK), France (Elan Interculturel), Italy (CESIE) and the UK (Merseyside Expanding Horizons) will come together to deliver a special five-day international training and conference on art mediation and interculturality at the Arena Treptow, Glaushaus in Berlin on 9th – 13th May 2016!

Can we balance freedom of speech with public security in 21st century Britain?

A highly innovative project in which Cambridge students and prisoners studied together at a Category B prison in Buckinghamshire has broken down prejudices and created new possibilities for all of those who took part. The researchers behind it suggest that more such collaborative learning initiatives could help dismantle stereotypes and offer prisoners a meaningful vision for the future after release.

Catherine Emami, Dr Rick Brown & Dr Russell G Smith ISSN 1836-2206 Canberra: Australian Institute of Criminology, April 2016 In 2014, the Australian Institute of Criminology conducted an online survey to gain a greater understanding of identity crime and misuse in Australia. The survey also asked a sample of Australian victims of identity crime about their experiences of, and willingness to use, biometric technologies, such as fingerprints, iris recognition, voice pattern recognition and facial recognition, among others. This paper presents the results of the research, which indicate generally high levels of previous exposure to biometrics. It also presents some unexpected findings concerning those willing to take up biometrics in the future.

Margaret Giles ISSN 1836-2206 Canberra: Australian Institute of Criminology, May 2016 Using a longitudinal dataset of prisoners in Western Australia, this paper describes the effectiveness of correctional education in improving post-release outcomes. The report shows that the more classes completed by prisoners the lower the rate of re-incarceration and the less likely they are to increase the seriousness of their offending. These, and other personal and societal benefits such as a reduction in welfare dependence, were positively associated with the number of classes prisoners successfully completed—that is, the more classes the inmate successfully completes, the less likely they are to reoffend and to access unemployment benefits.

This study analyses issues related to the implementation of seventy-one Public Safety Canada funded crime prevention projects in local communities. The main objectives of this project were to conduct a review of the final process evaluation reports in order to document common challenges and key strategies to address those challenges in order to develop and implement effective crime prevention programs in Canada.

Hosted by National Reentry Resource Center with funding support from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance Date: Wednesday, May 4 Time: 2–3:30 p.m. ET In this webinar, officials from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) and the National Reentry Resource Center will explain the Second Chance Act (SCA) Smart Reentry Solicitation and how state and local government agencies and federally recognized Indian tribal governments can apply for funding. BJA’s “Smart Suite” of programs, which includes the Smart Reentry Program, invests in the development of practitioner-researcher partnerships that use data, evidence, and innovation to help create effective criminal justice strategies and interventions. Having a data-driven approach can enable jurisdictions to understand the full nature and extent of the criminal justice challenges they face and prioritize their resources. The deadline for applying for this grant is June 9.

April 28, 2016 This guidance from the U.S. Department of Public Health and Human Services updates decades-old policy and clarifies that individuals who are currently on probation, parole or in home confinement are not considered inmates of a public institution.

Definitively ranking how addictive various substances are is tough work, even for scientists. It's well known that drugs like cocaine and heroin come with extreme health risks. But knowing how likely you are to become addicted to one of them is a murky science. In reality, roughly 80-85% of people who try a substance — whether it's alcohol or cocaine — will never become addicted. Unfortunately for the other 15-20%, the data we have on addiction is remarkably incomplete. 2016-05-18 businessinsider.com

THE UCL are currently recruiting for the prestigious role of Director of the Dawes Centre for Future Crime based at UCL (details below). Do apply if interested or forward to others who may be interested: The Dawes Centre for Future Crime The nature of the crime and security problems we face has transformed in recent years and continues to change rapidly. Most obviously, the digital revolution has created new challenges in the form of cybercrime and other cybersecurity threats, while developments such as the Dark Web and the Internet of Things are exposing new problems. But the issue is wider than digital technologies: developments, for example, in nanotechnology, robotics and cybernetics are creating new opportunities that can be exploited for criminal and terrorist purposes. And nor do the new threats solely involve technological developments: social changes associated with population growth, changing migration patterns, and climate change all have the potential to drive crime and insecurity in as yet largely unforeseen ways. These new threats require new, pre-emptive responses. It is with this mission in mind that the Dawes Centre for Future Crime is being established. Funded initially by a grant of £3.7m from the Dawes Trust, the Centre will have the dual purpose of identifying emergent crime and security threats and developing and recommending pre-emptive measures. It will produce cutting-edge research driven by a commitment to real world impact, scientific rigour, and multidisciplinarity across the social, physical, computer and engineering sciences. On the basis of this research, it will work with end users such as police and related agencies to develop new ways to prevent crime and tackle offending through increased disruption or detection..

01 June 2016 from 9:00 AM to 17.00 PM at Science14 Atrium - Rue de La Science 14b, 1040 Brussels, Belgium

The American Probation and Parole Association, The Council of State Governments Justice Center, and the Robert F. Kennedy National Resource Center for Juvenile Justice have partnered to deliver a Juvenile Probation Reform Academy for juvenile probation and parole leaders and managers. The academy will take place August 29–30 in Cleveland, Ohio. Robert F Kennedy Childrens Action Corps SquareThe Juvenile Probation Reform Academy is designed to instruct probation and parole directors and managers on the core principles demonstrated by research to reduce recidivism and improve other outcomes for youth in the juvenile justice system. Participants will develop strategies for applying this research to their own agencies and will learn how to conduct a systematic review of agency policies, practices, and performance, and implement agency-wide reforms. Applications are due June 10.

The U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) is seeking applications for the FY2016 Smart on Juvenile Justice: Statewide Juvenile Justice Reform Planning Grants and Training and Technical Assistance program. This initiative supports statewide juvenile justice reform efforts to reduce reoffending, improve outcomes for youth, and reduce racial and ethnic disparities. The initiative is composed of two categories:Awards_OJJDP •Category 1: Statewide Juvenile Justice Reform Planning Grants. This program will support selected grantees’ efforts to develop data-driven statewide juvenile justice reform strategic plans. The plans should include recommendations to improve both public safety and outcomes for youth, their families, and the communities in which they live. Application eligibility is limited to states, territories, and the District of Columbia. •Category 2: Statewide Juvenile Justice Reform Training and Technical Assistance. The training and technical assistance provider will provide national training and technical assistance to states and direct technical assistance to Category 1 grantees. Application eligibility is limited to nonprofit and for-profit organizations and institutions of higher education. For-profit organizations must agree to forgo any profit or management fee. Applications are due May 31.

The Center for Juvenile Justice Reform (CJJR) at Georgetown University‘s McCourt School of Public Policy is accepting applications for its second annual School-Justice Partnerships Certificate Program, which will take place on the Georgetown campus Sept. 26–30, 2016. Created by CJJR and the American Institutes for Research, the School-Justice Partnerships Certificate Program is designed to provide school and district staff, court professionals, and juvenile justice, law enforcement, child welfare and other child serving leaders with the knowledge and understanding necessary to address the educational needs of children involved with, or at risk of entering, the juvenile justice system. The curriculum focuses on school-Center for Juvenile Justice Reformbased and cross-system policies and practices to promote ongoing school engagement, ensure re-engagement for students who have been disconnected, prevent unnecessary entry into the juvenile justice system, and help schools and other child serving agencies work together to create environments that foster better academic and social outcomes for youth. Applications are due on June 17.

The Bundeskriminalamt (German Federal Criminal Police Bureau) is offering a condensed English version of the Kriminalstatistik (German PCS) with data on * cases * offenders, and * victims. For the time being, the latest issue refers to the year 2014.

Relevent information for the year 2015 may be published in Summer 2016

Center for Court Innovation By Sarah Picard-Fritsche, Michael Rempel, Warren A. Reich, Erin Farley and Ashmini G. Kerodal This report presents an overview of the feasibility and impact of introducing evidence-based risk assessment and treatment-matching protocols into three established New York City drug courts. For this purpose, researchers used the Texas Christian University Drug Screen and the Level of Service Inventory-Revised assessment. Findings suggest that the LSI-R is a valid predictor of recidivism in the drug court population. The results also suggest that treatment-matching protocols that utilize LSI-R risk scores can outperform clinical judgment alone in matching drug court participants to appropriate treatment modalities that will address their needs and reduce recidivism. Drawing on the same study, a focused analysis of the negative effects of intensive treatment on low-risk drug court participants was recently published in the Journal of Drug Issues.

By Lama Hassoun Ayoub and Tia Pooler This study of the Harlem Parole Reentry Court compares participants in a neighborhood-based reentry program to similar parolees on traditional parole. Results indicate that the reentry court, which implemented a validated and reliable tool for assessing the risks and needs of individuals returning from prison, produced a 22% reduction in the reconviction rate and a 60% reduction in the felony reconviction rate over an 18-month follow-up period. The reentry court also produced a 45% reduction in revocations. Interview findings indicate that reentry court parolees were significantly more likely to be in school or employed and to have positive perceptions of their parole officer.

The IDPC Drug Policy Guide brings together global evidence, best practice and experiences to provide expert analysis across the spectrum of drug policy. Each chapter of the Guide introduces a specific policy challenge or principle, and presents advice and recommendations to promote effective, balanced and humane drug policies at the national, regional and international levels: •Chapter 1 describes the five core policy principles to which all IDPC members agree as the basis for our collective advocacy work •Chapter 2 outlines the key issues related to public health – from scheduling and access to essential medicines, to drug prevention, harm reduction and treatment services. •Chapter 3 offers guidance on the criminal justice system – including alternatives to incarceration, proportionate sentencing, regulated markets and decriminalisation, as well as policies in prisons. •Chapter 4 finally turns to development, alternative livelihoods and the rights of indigenous groups. This analysis has been made possible through the contributions from many IDPC members – including networks of key affected populations – and is the only document of its kind to provide such a broad and comprehensive investigation of what works and what doesn’t in drug control policies. Keep up-to-date with drug policy developments by subscribing to the IDPC Monthly Alert.

The U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) is seeking applications for funding under thAwards_OJJDPe FY2016 Smart on Juvenile Justice: Reducing Out-of-Home Placement Program. This program will strengthen and expand the use of community-based alternatives to out-of-home placement and minimize approaches based solely on control and deterrence in favor of individualized treatment and services. Application eligibility is limited to states that are currently in compliance with the core requirements of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act. Application are due May 25.

June 16-18, 2016 New York

2016 marks a critical time for the United Nations, Member States, and civil society as together they address the early challenges of implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and as they look to agree upon the aims of the World Humanitarian Summit being held in May 2016 in Istanbul. These hallmark efforts, as well as others recently undertaken by the UN system, reflect both the spirit and letter of the UN Charter’s Preamble, which emphasizes and reaffirms “faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small.” Alongside these aims, the promotion of justice, social progress, and better standards of life in larger freedom are critical facets of ensuring that the global development and humanitarian agendas are “fit for future”, and that the UN itself will be “fit for purpose”. These efforts also call upon and encourage international organizations, states and individuals to think very differently about the theory and practice of sustainable development and humanitarianism. They require establishing effective mechanisms to facilitate robust dialogue among key stakeholders and affected communities; harnessing new technologies and pursuing innovative approaches to resolving multilateral challenges threatening livelihoods; and devising and applying forward-leaning solutions that harmonize state and non-state efforts to attain the multilateral goals of development and dignity. What are the most pressing challenges facing the various actors involved in global development and humanitarianism, and how should these challenges be tackled? Are the humanitarian and development systems condemned to a perpetually fraught relationship with one another or can stronger and mutually reinforcing partnerships be forged across and between them? What types of innovations would catapult individual donor and agency pursuits beyond the realm of narrow interests and toward aligned, collective action forged through common vision, analysis, implementation, and assessment? In what ways can beneficiary communities be integrated meaningfully into the strategic and field-level pursuit of development and dignity? How can and should the prevailing norms associated with sustainable human development and humanitarianism be infused throughout these endeavors? What role(s) can or should private actors, as well as the global knowledge and information economy, play in these transformations? The 2016 ACUNS Annual Meeting will explore these and other related themes. In cooperation with our host institution, Fordham University, ACUNS invites its members and interested scholars, practitioners, and students to join us in New York City for what promises to be a timely and critical debate.

The Confederation of European Probation is establishing a Probation Awards Scheme to celebrate outstanding contributions to Probation. The awards will be presented at each General Assembly, beginning with the General Assembly to be held in Bucharest in October 2016. The awards scheme reflects CEP’s vision: To contribute to safer communities by rehabilitating and reintegrating offenders and providing the best possible interventions to reduce re-offending and the impact of crime. The deadline for receiving nominations is Friday 15 July 2016.

Public Safety Canada This research report provides evaluation results for the Life Skill Training (LST) program implemented in Edmonton, Alberta. LST is a prevention program targeting adolescent drug and alcohol use. Implementing and evaluating model programs provides an opportunity to assess what factors contribute to changes amongst different target populations in a variety of contexts. This evaluation research study was conducted between 2010 and 2014 and was adapted to an Aboriginal population. Valid conclusions regarding the effect of the LST program on substance use onset was unable to be drawn from the data available, as the project experienced challenges with enrolment, participant retention and drop-outs. Qualitative findings on most variables, however, were positive.

Partnership's strategy • Consultations: Throughout the past months the Partnership Secretariat has undertaken extensive consultation on the zero draft strategy. Inputs have been received from children in 22 countries and from over 2000 individuals at different points in time. In addition, groups have been coming together - for example, in Canada, civil society met with Global Affairs Canada and provided concrete recommendations to improve the strategy. • Call to Action and Launch of the Partnership: The Partnership and its strategy will be launched, alongside a package of evidence-based strategies for ending violence against children, on 12 July 2016 during a high-level Thematic Debate convened by the President of the UN General Assembly at the UN Headquarters in New York. The Call to Action and Launch have the following objectives: • o Demonstrate public commitment from UN Member States, UN agencies, civil society and the private sector to participate in the Partnership; o Showcase the evidence-based interventions that can be used to prevent and respond to violence, and the ability of pathfinder countries to implement these solutions; o Launch the Partnership strategy; o Allow Member States to announce financial commitments to the associated fund; o Emphasize that children play a prominent role as agents of change and champions. Accelerating action • Country work: A number of countries have already initiated steps toward being prospective Pathfinder countries within the Partnership. To date, these include: El Salvador, Indonesia, Jamaica, Mexico, Paraguay, Philippines, Romania, Scotland, Sweden, and Tanzania. In the past months missions by the Secretariat have taken place to Indonesia, Philippines, Scotland, Sweden, and Tanzania. Discussions were held with representatives from across government; including finance, health, education, social welfare, gender and development, representatives from civil society, multi-lateral agencies, faith communities, donors, foundations, and children. These missions (i) explored each country's commitment to delivering SDG targets to end violence against children; (ii) reviewed current policies, strategies and plans for ending violence; (iii) discussed strategic priorities for the future; (iv) began the work of developing a 'road map' that will summarize the pathfinder countries' commitments to financing and delivery of SDG16.2 and related targets; (v) identified next steps, roles, and responsibilities. Key asks that have emerged from governments are technical support on implementation of the package, strengthening data collection and addressing social norms. • Technical package: Led by WHO, and in collaboration with PAHO, PEPFAR, Together for Girls, UNICEF, UNODC, USAID, US CDC, the World Bank and the Partnership, a technical package of seven evidence-based strategies to prevent violence against children is being finalized. The package is based on convergence between these agencies in the evidence-based strategies they have been recommending, and presents the best available evidence to help countries and communities intensify their focus on prevention programmes and services with the greatest potential to reduce violence against children. Following clearance by the agencies, it will be launched on 12 July 2016 and disseminated widely. Importantly, the package will also be central to the Partnership's strategy for strengthening national efforts to end violence against children. • Indicators: In March, a meeting was hosted by UNICEF to identify indicators to measure progress in implementing the package, and its effects on risk factors for and the prevalence of violence against children. One of the critical aspects of the discussion is to explore synergies between the global indicators being set to meet Sustainable Development Goal target 16.2 and related targets, and the indicators for the technical package. Governance • Governance: Stakeholders in the Partnership are now working to identify individuals, constituencies and organizations that are ready to commit the time and resources necessary to design and build a new Partnership. It was agreed that in the initial stage a high-level board is needed to secure commitments for this new initiative. The board may have up to 25 members representing governments, UN agencies, civil society, faith-based organizations, academia and the private sector. The board's work will be supported by an active team of senior level individuals from the Partnership's constituencies serving as an 'Executive Committee'. The fund • Fund: Work to deliver the Partnership's associated fund continues at pace and it will launch alongside the Partnership on 12 July 2016. In its first year of operation the fund will initially provide financial support to programmes which aim to further the Partnership goal of accelerating action to prevent and respond to the violence children face. Specifically, the fund will operate in three priority areas: o Preventing online violence, with a particular focus on sexual exploitation; o Addressing violence in the every-day lives of children, with an initial focus on investments in Pathfinder countries to implement evidence based programming; o Addressing the prevention of violence against children facing conflict and crisis. With support from the United Kingdom, an initial challenge grant has been provided to specifically combat the first priority area - online child sexual exploitation.

On 27 May 2016 the 69th World Health Assembly adopted a historic resolution WHA69. 5 on the WHO global plan of action to strengthen the role of the health system within a national multisectoral response to address interpersonal violence, in particular against women and girls, and against children. During the discussions, 28 Member States, some speaking on behalf of several others, expressed a strong willingness to use the WHO global plan of action as a key tool for implementing the violence-related Sustainable Development Goals. Eight NGOs also took the floor to express their support. The resolution: • endorses the WHO global plan of action; • encourages Member States to adapt the WHO global plan of action at national level in line with their commitments already made, including those reflected in the SDGs; • urges Member States to implement the proposed actions; • invites partners to implement the necessary actions to contribute to the accomplishment of the four strategic directions of the WHO global plan of action, which are to: o strengthen health system leadership and governance; o strengthen health service delivery and health workers'/providers' capacity to respond; o strengthen programming to prevent interpersonal violence; and o improve information and evidence. The WHO global plan of action is based in part on the findings and recommendations of the Global status report on violence prevention 2014 (GSRVP 2014), which revealed that homicide is the third leading cause of death globally for males aged 15-44 years. Non-fatal acts of violence take a particular toll on women and children. One in four children has been physically abused; one in five girls has been sexually abused; and one in three women has been a victim of physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence at some point in her lifetime. The GSRVP 2014 concluded that only one third of the 133 countries surveyed are implementing large-scale initiatives to prevent violence; just over half are fully enforcing a set of 12 laws generally acknowledged to prevent violence; and only half have services in place to protect and support victims of violence. In line with the WHO global plan of action, the GSRVP 2014 calls for a scaling up of violence prevention programmes in all countries; stronger legislation and enforcement of laws relevant for violence prevention; strengthened justice and security institutions to uphold the rule of law; and enhanced services for victims of violence. It also advocates for better and more effective use of data to inform violence prevention programming and to measure progress. In addition to its current wealth of violence prevention publications and resources, WHO - in collaboration with the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, UNICEF, endviolence, Pan American Health Organization, PEPFAR, Together for Girls, UN Office on Drugs and Crime, US Agency for International Development, and World Bank - is currently finalizing a new tool for release in July 2016. INSPIRE: seven strategies for ending violence against children flags a select group of strategies to help countries and communities intensify their focus on the violence prevention programmes and services with the greatest potential to reduce violence against children and achieve the violence-related Sustainable Development Goals.

European Commission - Press release European Commission and IT Companies announce Code of Conduct on illegal online hate speech Brussels, 31 May 2016 The Commission together with Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Microsoft (“the IT companies”) today unveil a code of conduct that includes a series of commitments to combat the spread of illegal hate speech online in Europe. The IT Companies support the European Commission and EU Member States in the effort to respond to the challenge of ensuring that online platforms do not offer opportunities for illegal online hate speech to spread virally. They share, together with other platforms and social media companies, a collective responsibility and pride in promoting and facilitating freedom of expression throughout the online world. However, the Commission and the IT Companies recognise that the spread of illegal hate speech online not only negatively affects the groups or individuals that it targets, it also negatively impacts those who speak out for freedom, tolerance and non-discrimination in our open societies and has a chilling effect on the democratic discourse on online platforms. In order to prevent the spread of illegal hate speech, it is essential to ensure that relevant national laws transposing the Council Framework Decision on combating racism and xenophobia are fully enforced by Member States in the online as well as the in the offline environment. While the effective application of provisions criminalising hate speech is dependent on a robust system of enforcement of criminal law sanctions against the individual perpetrators of hate speech, this work must be complemented with actions geared at ensuring that illegal hate speech online is expeditiously reviewed by online intermediaries and social media platforms, upon receipt of a valid notification, in an appropriate time-frame. To be considered valid in this respect, a notification should not be insufficiently precise or inadequately substantiated. Vĕra Jourová, EU Commissioner for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality, said, "The recent terror attacks have reminded us of the urgent need to address illegal online hate speech. Social media is unfortunately one of the tools that terrorist groups use to radicalise young people and racist use to spread violence and hatred. This agreement is an important step forward to ensure that the internet remains a place of free and democratic expression, where European values and laws are respected. I welcome the commitment of worldwide IT companies to review the majority of valid notifications for removal of illegal hate speech in less than 24 hours and remove or disable access to such content, if necessary." Twitter’s Head of Public Policy for Europe, Karen White, commented: “Hateful conduct has no place on Twitter and we will continue to tackle this issue head on alongside our partners in industry and civil society. We remain committed to letting the Tweets flow. However, there is a clear distinction between freedom of expression and conduct that incites violence and hate. In tandem with actioning hateful conduct that breaches Twitter’s Rules, we also leverage the platform’s incredible capabilities to empower positive voices, to challenge prejudice and to tackle the deeper root causes of intolerance. We look forward to further constructive dialogue between the European Commission, member states, our partners in civil society and our peers in the technology sector on this issue.” Google’s Public Policy and Government Relations Director, Lie Junius, said: “We’re committed to giving people access to information through our services, but we have always prohibited illegal hate speech on our platforms. We have efficient systems to review valid notifications in less than 24 hours and to remove illegal content. We are pleased to work with the Commission to develop co- and self-regulatory approaches to fighting hate speech online." Monika Bickert, Head of Global Policy Management at Facebook said: "We welcome today’s announcement and the chance to continue our work with the Commission and wider tech industry to fight hate speech. With a global community of 1.6 billion people we work hard to balance giving people the power to express themselves whilst ensuring we provide a respectful environment. As we make clear in our Community Standards, there’s no place for hate speech on Facebook. We urge people to use our reporting tools if they find content that they believe violates our standards so we can investigate. Our teams around the world review these reports around the clock and take swift action.” John Frank, Vice President EU Government Affairs at Microsoft, added: “We value civility and free expression, and so our terms of use prohibit advocating violence and hate speech on Microsoft-hostedconsumer services. We recently announced additional steps to specifically prohibit the posting of terrorist content. We will continue to offer our users a way to notify us when they think that our policy is being breached. Joining the Code of Conduct reconfirms our commitment to this important issue." By signing this code of conduct, the IT companies commit to continuing their efforts to tackle illegal hate speech online. This will include the continued development of internal procedures and staff training to guarantee that they review the majority of valid notifications for removal of illegal hate speech in less than 24 hours and remove or disable access to such content, if necessary. The IT companies will also endeavour to strengthen their ongoing partnerships with civil society organisations who will help flag content that promotes incitement to violence and hateful conduct. The IT companies and the European Commission also aim to continue their work in identifying and promoting independent counter-narratives, new ideas and initiatives, and supporting educational programs that encourage critical thinking. The IT Companies also underline that the present code of conduct is aimed at guiding their own activities as well as sharing best practices with other internet companies, platforms and social media operators. The code of conduct includes the following public commitments: The IT Companies, taking the lead on countering the spread of illegal hate speech online, have agreed with the European Commission on a code of conduct setting the following public commitments: The IT Companies to have in place clear and effective processes to review notifications regarding illegal hate speech on their services so they can remove or disable access to such content. The IT companies to have in place Rules or Community Guidelines clarifying that they prohibit the promotion of incitement to violence and hateful conduct. Upon receipt of a valid removal notification, the IT Companies to review such requests against their rules and community guidelines and where necessary national laws transposing the Framework Decision 2008/913/JHA, with dedicated teams reviewing requests. The IT Companies to review the majority of valid notifications for removal of illegal hate speech in less than 24 hours and remove or disable access to such content, if necessary. In addition to the above, the IT Companies to educate and raise awareness with their users about the types of content not permitted under their rules and community guidelines. The use of the notification system could be used as a tool to do this. The IT companies to provide information on the procedures for submitting notices, with a view to improving the speed and effectiveness of communication between the Member State authorities and the IT Companies, in particular on notifications and on disabling access to or removal of illegal hate speech online. The information is to be channelled through the national contact points designated by the IT companies and the Member States respectively. This would also enable Member States, and in particular their law enforcement agencies, to further familiarise themselves with the methods to recognise and notify the companies of illegal hate speech online. The IT Companies to encourage the provision of notices and flagging of content that promotes incitement to violence and hateful conduct at scale by experts, particularly via partnerships with CSOs, by providing clear information on individual company Rules and Community Guidelines and rules on the reporting and notification processes. The IT Companies to endeavour to strengthen partnerships with CSOs by widening the geographical spread of such partnerships and, where appropriate, to provide support and training to enable CSO partners to fulfil the role of a "trusted reporter" or equivalent, with due respect to the need of maintaining their independence and credibility. The IT Companies rely on support from Member States and the European Commission to ensure access to a representative network of CSO partners and "trusted reporters" in all Member States helping to help provide high quality notices. IT Companies to make information about "trusted reporters" available on their websites. The IT Companies to provide regular training to their staff on current societal developments and to exchange views on the potential for further improvement. The IT Companies to intensify cooperation between themselves and other platforms and social media companies to enhance best practice sharing. The IT Companies and the European Commission, recognising the value of independent counter speech against hateful rhetoric and prejudice, aim to continue their work in identifying and promoting independent counter-narratives, new ideas and initiatives and supporting educational programs that encourage critical thinking. The IT Companies to intensify their work with CSOs to deliver best practice training on countering hateful rhetoric and prejudice and increase the scale of their proactive outreach to CSOs to help them deliver effective counter speech campaigns. The European Commission, in cooperation with Member States, to contribute to this endeavour by taking steps to map CSOs' specific needs and demands in this respect. The European Commission in coordination with Member States to promote the adherence to the commitments set out in this code of conduct also to other relevant platforms and social media companies. The IT Companies and the European Commission agree to assess the public commitments in this code of conduct on a regular basis, including their impact. They also agree to further discuss how to promote transparency and encourage counter and alternative narratives. To this end, regular meetings will take place and a preliminary assessment will be reported to the High Level Group on Combating Racism, Xenophobia and all forms of intolerance by the end of 2016.