A new Trends and Issues paper is released today. This Criminology Research Grant funded study was undertaken by researchers from the University of the Sunshine Coast and the Australian National University.

The study examines how the identity theft response system operates when a victim reports identity theft.
The research is based on analysis of information provided by 211 identity theft victims who reported the incident to IDCARE, a national identity and cybercrime victim support service.
Examining the issue from a number of perspectives, the paper highlights how the role of the victim post-incident is central to recovering from identity crime, with the victim performing a considerable amount of work.
The study highlights that many victims also feel re-victimised by needing to re-expose the very identity information that was compromised to prove their credentials to various organisations across the system.
Identity theft is among the most prevalent crime types affecting individuals today.

The paper is available for free download on the AIC website: https://aic.gov.au/publications/tandi/tandi592

[Apply Now] Mentoring Opportunities for Youth Initiative

The U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention is seeking applications to support the implementation and delivery of mentoring services to youth populations that are at risk for juvenile delinquency, victimization, and juvenile justice system involvement. Mentoring services can be one-on-one, group, peer, or a combination of these types. Applicants in all categories must initiate mentoring services to youth who are 17 years old or younger at the time of admission to the program. Funding can be used to support new mentoring matches or continue existing mentoring matches at the time of application.

The solicitation provides further details about the program. Applications are due by April 13.

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AIC Publication: The social supply of pharmaceutical opioids

The social supply of pharmaceutical opioids

The AIC has today released a Statistical Bulletin on the Social supply of pharmaceutical opioids, which explores how police detainees obtain pharmaceutical opioids using ‘social supply’ — the non-commercial distribution of drugs between family and friends. The Statistical Bulletin shows that:

Twenty-three percent of police detainees reported having used at least one type of pharmaceutical opioid in the past 12 months for prescribed or non-prescribed use.
Half of those that had used opioids had used them for non-medical purposes.
Overall, 61 percent of those acquiring pharmaceutical opioids for non-medical use had obtained them through social supply, mainly receiving them from family or friends.
Of those who had used pharmaceutical opioids for non-medical purposes and responded to the survey’s availability questions, 31 percent reported they were very easy to get without a prescription and 43 percent reported it was easy.
Social supply was the most common method of acquiring each type of opioid.

The paper is available for free download on the AIC website: https://aic.gov.au/publications/sb/sb20

Training of the Trainers: a course covering different topics on radicalisation

The three European projects J-SAFE, MINDb4ACT and JPCOOPS have decided to join forces and organise Training of the Trainer courses covering different topics on radicalisation prevention and investigation. The courses take place in Italy, Germany, Spain, Bulgaria and Malta.

A Training of the Trainers (ToT) is a 4-day face-to-face training course entirely in English, with the purpose of giving the participants the tools and knowledge they need in order to replicate the course in their own country or with any audience they want.This means that those participants interested in organizing a 1-day training course in their own country and in their own language will have the full assistance of the JPCOOPS project.

Training topics

Radicalisation as a relational phenomenon – To understand the complexity of radical phenomena through a multi-disciplinary approach at the EU-level.
Radicalisation in prison – To develop advanced and specialised competencies and abilities for LEAs, judges, prosecutors, intel agencies, lawyers and vetted NGOs working in CT/CVE to identify different types of information within radical mechanisms, classify and transmit it within the procedural justice framework at MS and EU levels as part of the counter-radicalisation measures.
Legal Aspects of Preventive Procedures and Agency Attributions – To differentiate procedures, their applicability and agency attributions.
Digital Forensics for the Prevention of Radicalisation – To improve know-how, competencies, and abilities of different LEAs, prison and justice operators to 1) detect cases of radicalisation; 2) understand the dimension of the issue and solutions to deal with it; 3) integrate digital and cyber data into the mechanisms of observation of radicalisation as part of new preventive and investigative models.
Exit Strategies – To develop knowledge of the new models of exit strategies applied in several EU countries in case of radicalisation, with a specific focus on the transition from prison to external life.
Prevention and Management of Radicalisation in Schools – To improve know-how, competencies, and abilities of school staff and local police in preventing violent radicalisation in school and eventually address cases; improve teachers and school staff capability to raise students’ awareness of radicalisation.
Early Intervention and Awareness at Local Level – To improve know-how, competencies, and abilities of operators to understand the phenomenon of radicalisation; improve their capabilities in early detection; train operators on the multi-agency approach.

Is the training of the trainers for you?

Do you have a background in one of the following professions?

Prison and probation management as a juvenile and/or adult prison guard
Intelligence officers and related staff active in prison environments
Probation officers, both for juveniles and adults
Prison educators
Judges
Prosecutors
NGOs and local welfare services specialised in rehabilitation and alternative measures to prisons
Prison and court experts (psychologists, criminologists, Middle-East experts, cultural mediators, etc.)

More information about the Training for the Trainers is available via their website.

Guidelines: Women in prison: mental health and well-being – a guide for prison staff

Women in prison: mental health and well-being – a guide for prison staff

People in prison have a disproportionately high rate of poor mental health, and research shows these rates are even higher for women in prison. While primary care remains the responsibility of healthcare professionals, frontline prison staff play an important role in protecting and addressing mental health needs of women in prison.

Penal Reform International (PRI), in partnership with the Prison Reform Trust (PRT), has published a guide for prison and probation staff to help them understand how prison life can affect a person’s mental health, with a focus on women. The guide aims to break down the stigma and discrimination attached to poor mental health, especially for women in prison.

This guide is written to help understand how life in prison can affect a person’s mental health, with a focus on women. It describes how to recognise the signs of poor mental health and how best to respond. It also includes a checklist based on international human rights standards aimed to help with the implementation of key aspects of prison reform and advocacy initiatives in line with international standards and norms.

Published with the support of Better Community Business Network (BCBN) and the

WHO: MENTOR-VIP programme open until 9 May 2020

WHO's global mentoring programme, MENTOR-VIP, is designed to assist junior injury prevention practitioners to develop specific skills through structured collaboration with a more experienced person who has volunteered to act as a mentor. Since its inception in 2007, around 100 mentorships on a range of violence and injury topics have been undertaken. Collaborations include:

Review and situation analysis of poisoning; development of an intervention strategy or plan for poisoning prevention in Bangladesh;
Hospital-based bedside counselling to prevent child injury in China;
Study of pedestrian knowledge, attitudes and behaviour around a busy highway in India;
Gap/problem analysis of a national injury surveillance system and improvements to surveillance system design and implementation in Jamaica;
Literature review of child injury and application of Haddon's Matrix to case series in Pakistan;
Social acceptability of barriers to prevent drowning in children and publication of papers summarizing drowning prevention in the Philippines;
Linkage of data on road traffic injuries using police and hospital data and development of a policy brief in Romania;
Preparation of research proposal on psycho-social factors related to suicide in South Africa;
School area road safety assessments for primary school children in United Republic of Tanzania.

MENTOR-VIP is an excellent opportunity for committed injury and violence prevention practitioners to improve their skills and benefit from the guidance of a more practiced mentor. Applicants who wish to apply to be mentored during 2020-2021, or individuals who would like to volunteer to be mentors, may find out more information about MENTOR-VIP by visiting:

http://www.who.int/violence_injury_prevention/capacitybuilding/mentor_vip/

For more information, contact Dr David Meddings (meddingsd@who.int).

WHO and partners release tips for positive parenting during COVID-19 confinement

Globally, there are now nearly 1.4 billion children out of school and at home due to COVID-19. In homes with high levels of stress, there are increasing risks that children experience or observe violence within their families. To help parents interact constructively with their children during this time of confinement, the Parenting for Lifelong Health consortium, of which WHO is a founding member, together with colleagues from WHO, UNICEF, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Internet of Good Things, US Agency for International Development and the End Violence Partnership, have released six one-page tips for parents on:

planning one-on-one time
staying positive
creating a daily routine
avoiding bad behavior
managing stress
talking about COVID-19

These evidence-based materials for parents of children of all ages are currently being translated into more than 50 languages.

Reducing harsh parenting practices and creating positive parent-child relationships are among the strategies reflected in the technical package INSPIRE: seven strategies for ending violence against children

RELATED LINKS

Tips for positive parenting during COVID-19 confinement

https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public/healthy-parenting

Language versions of tips for positive parenting during COVID-19 confinement

https://www.covid19parenting.com/tips-in-other-languages

INSPIRE: seven strategies for ending violence against children.

https://www.who.int/violence_injury_prevention/violence/inspire-package/en/