News

June 6, 2017

Publications, Juvenile Justice, Social Justice—A new CJCJ report finds crime and violence have decreased as racial and ethnic diversity and immigration increased in California, particularly among young people

Shana L. Maier, Suzanne Mannes, Emily L. Koppenhofer

First Published May 8, 2017

Research Article

Through 2014 Uniform Crime Report (UCR) data for all 50 U.S. states, this research explores the relationship between decriminalization and recreational and medical marijuana legalization and crime rates and arrests for drug abuse violations. When comparing states that changed their marijuana laws between 2010 and 2014 to states without any change, results indicate that any decrease in crime rate was not dependent upon changes in laws. Results indicate that while the trend is for property and violent crime rates to be higher in states where marijuana remains illegal, the difference is not statistically significant. When comparing states where marijuana has been decriminalized and states where medical marijuana has been legalized to states where it has not, the trend is that property and violent crime rates appear to be lower in both decriminalized and medically legalized states, but the difference is not statistically significant. Analysis also reveals that there are no significant differences in 2014 crime rates based on the degree to which the state has legalized/decriminalized marijuana (completely illegal, decriminalized or medically legal, decriminalized and medically legal). Even when controlling for factors that may lead to crime, the legal status of marijuana in states failed to significantly predict property or violent crime rates in 2014. States may turn to this research when considering their marijuana laws.

Lynn Langton, Ph.D., BJS Statistician, Madeline Masucci,

BJS Intern June 29, 2017; NCJ 250653

Presents National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) data on hate crime victimization from 2004 to 2015. Hate crimes are violent or property crimes that the victim perceived to be motivated by bias due to the victim's race, ethnicity, gender, disability, sexual orientation, or religion. The report examines the perceived motivation for the hate crime, evidence that the crime was motivated by bias, demographic characteristics of victims and offenders, and hate crimes reported and not reported to police. It compares characteristics of hate crime and nonhate crime victimizations. The report also compares the NCVS and FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting hate crime statistics. Highlights: U.S. residents experienced an average of 250,000 hate crime victimizations each year from 2004 to 2015. There was no statistically significant change in the annual rate of violent hate crime victimization from 2004 to 2015 (about 0.7 per 1,000 persons age 12 or older). The majority (99%) of victims cited offenders' use of hate language as evidence of a hate crime. During the 5-year aggregate period from 2011-15, racial bias was the most common motivation for hate crime (48%). About 54% of hate crime victimizations were not reported to police during 2011-15.

July 12–14, 2018,

LUISS University, Rome

The 2018 Meeting will be held in co-operation with the ISA Human Rights Section. Visit the website for more details and the call for papers. For Secretary-General António Guterres, who was the High Commissioner for Refugees for a decade (2005–2015) before being elected to lead the UN, one of the most pressing issues currently facing the world body is the large-scale voluntary and involuntary (forced) movement of people across borders. While 2018 marks the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, political, economic, and environmental dysfunction and collapse in their own countries has driven a record high number of people to seek a safer or better life elsewhere. Equally present especially in the West, have been counter-reactions to immigration based on political, social, economic, and security concerns. One reason the United Kingdom is leaving the European Union, with Prime Minister Theresa May triggering “Brexit”, is because of voters’ concerns over the perceived threat of uncontrollable migration. President Trump likewise won office in the US election in part by appealing to many American voters’ fears of immigrants – whether from Mexico (the ‘wall’) or from conflict zones such as Syria. The global governance and human rights issues in this contemporary era are manifest and complex. The Sustainable Development Goals will be impossible to achieve in the context of state failure, political conflicts, major climate disruptions, and mass population displacements. The rights of citizens also must be balanced against the rights of those fleeing persecution and desperation; more often, the latter are disregarded as populist movements refocus national discourses away from cosmopolitan ideals. These complex ‘wicked problems’ present severe contemporary challenges for the institutions, as well as the idea (and ideals), of global governance.

An Assessment of Systematic Reviews

Authors: David Weisburd, David P. Farrington, Charlotte Gill

Abstract

Research Summary Just four decades ago, the predominant narrative in crime prevention and rehabilitation was that nothing works. Since that time, criminologists have accumulated a wide body of evidence about programs and practices in systematic reviews. In this article, we summarize what is known in seven broad criminal justice areas by drawing on 118 systematic reviews. Although not everything works, through our “review of reviews,” we provide persuasive evidence of the effectiveness of programs, policies, and practices across a variety of intervention areas. Policy Implications It is time to abandon the idea that “nothing works,” not only in corrections but also in developmental, community, and situational prevention; sentencing; policing; and drug treatment. Nevertheless, key gaps remain in our knowledge base. The results of systematic reviews should provide more specific guidance to practitioners. In many areas few randomized evaluations have been conducted. Finally, researchers, through their studies and systematic reviews, must pay more attention to cost–benefit analysis, qualitative research, and descriptive validity.

David Sausdal

Abstract

In police research, dominant explanations of why law enforcers harbour xenophobic attitudes are most often dressed in cultural or political rationalizations. Based on an ethnographic study of Danish police detectives and their noticeable negativity towards foreign suspects, this article offers an additional explanation of xenophobia. It demonstrates how resentments are spurred not only by cultural prejudice or politics but also by the ways in which foreigners complicate quite ordinary yet, from a police perspective, valued work practices. Following this ethnographic observation, the article ultimately constitutes a call for a better grounding of our criminological theories in the wider context of the workday situations and sensibilities of law enforcement.

28 June 2017 -

With the support of UNODC, the Sahel Programme Progress Report 2017 was officially launched in Vienna this month, showcasing the results achieved by the countries in the Sahel region regarding the fight against drug trafficking, transnational crime and terrorism. Presented in attendance of Aldo Lale-Demoz, UNODC Deputy Executive Director; Marou Amadou, Minister for Justice of Niger; Lotfi Bouchaara, Permanent Representative of Morocco to the United Nations in Vienna; and Pierre Lapaque, UNODC Regional Representative for West and Central Africa, the report outlined that, spanning across Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger, and located in a semidesert area, the Sahel remains as one of the poorest regions in the world. Two-thirds of 70 million inhabitants of the Sahel are under the age of 25, and the region needs strong support for effective border control, accountable criminal justice systems, and strengthened law enforcement capacities. "The nexus between terrorism and transnational crime has become blatant, and it is now mandatory to involve member States towards closer cooperation in order to address these challenges, where illicit financial transactions related to drug trafficking, and trafficking in persons are often used to support violent extremism and terrorism," said Mr. Lale-Demoz, following the report's presentation. To make progress, the countries in the region established a Security Cooperation Platform and UNODC experts have provided specialized training to strengthen capacity to counter terrorism and transnational organized crime. The main achievements of the platform include the creation of a Specialized Judicial Unit to strengthen the fight against terrorism and its financing in Burkina Faso, the dismantling of an international drug trafficking network in Mali, and the creation of a law to ensure better access to legal aid for citizens in Mauritania. Following the adoption of an anti-corruption bill in December 2016, Niger has recovered more than $ 5 million in assets. This year, the Government signed a UN protocol that ensures the protection of children associated with armed and terrorist groups and agrees to refer such children to protection services. "The support of UNODC, as we have seen, has been an important contribution to improving the criminal chain in dealing with terrorist offences cases," said Mr. Amadou. The platform also reports on seizures of illicit drugs, passports and gold, as well as dollar bills through the training of Joint Airport Interdiction Task Force (JAITF) and the Airport Communication Programme (AIRCOP) officers. The report adds that the Sahel Programme implementation will continue with a greater focus on the South-South cooperation and on priority areas, including pro-active investigation techniques to counter transnational crime in key border zones and foreign terrorist fighters, cybercrime and radicalization. The Programme also works closely with Algeria, Libya and Morocco, as well as other UN entities in order to address the challenges affecting the region, and to strengthen countries' integration into activities and initiatives in the region.

11th International Crime Science Conference

12th July 2017, British Library, LONDON

there is a special half-price fee this year at £99 for the Early Bird Rate.

The theme of this year’s conference is "The future of crime: how the crime and security landscape is evolving, and what we can do to respond." The conference will showcase leading research that is helping to tackle threats to our society. In particular, it will focus on the way crime and security providers are responding to the challenges created by "crimes of the future".

Topics covered will include Future Crimes; Cyber Security, Future Forensics, Security Technologies 2050, The Evolving Terrorist; Organised Crime; Policing the Future, Transport Crime, and Data and Crime. Once again, the conference brings together senior security practitioners, policy-makers, technologists and academics, all developing the latest techniques and technologies for preventing crime and increasing security.

Strasbourg, 4 July 2017

With the situation becoming ever more pressing along the Central Mediterranean Route, the Commission is today setting out a series of immediate measures that can be taken by the EU Member States, the Commission and EU Agencies, and Italy itself.

Building on the work of the past two years to save lives at sea and manage the increasing numbers of arrivals along the Central Mediterranean Route, all actors now need to intensify and accelerate their efforts in line with the increasing urgency of the situation and the commitments undertaken by EU leaders. Today's measures should form the basis of discussions at the informal Justice and Home Affairs Council meeting in Tallinn on Thursday.

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said: "The dire situation in the Mediterranean is neither a new nor a passing reality. We have made enormous progress over the past two and half years towards a genuine EU migration policy but the urgency of the situation now requires us to seriously accelerate our collective work and not leave Italy on its own. The focus of our efforts has to be on solidarity – with those fleeing war and persecution and with our Member States under the most pressure. At the same time, we need to act, in support of Libya, to fight smugglers and enhance border control to reduce the number of people taking hazardous journeys to Europe."

Actions to support Italy and reduce flows

The European Commission proposes a set of measures to be taken now to accelerate the European Union's collective work along the Central Mediterranean Route, including notably that:

The Commission will:

Further enhance the capacity of the Libyan authorities through a €46 million project prepared jointly with Italy;

Support the establishment of a fully operational Maritime Rescue and Coordination Centre in Libya;

Step up funding for migration management in Italy, with an additional €35 million ready to be mobilised immediately;

Ensure a full mobilisation of EU Agencies:

the European Asylum and Support Office (EASO) is ready to increase the number of mobile teams supporting processing of applications;

the European Border and Coast Guard Agency should urgently examine Italy's proposals regarding Joint Operation Triton;

and the European Border and Coast Guard's rapid reaction pool of over 500 return experts is ready to be deployed at Italy's request;

Launch and finance a new resettlement pledging exercise, notably from Libya, Egypt, Niger, Ethiopia and Sudan in conjunction with the UNHCR starting today;

Work with Libya to strengthen controls at the southern border, in cooperation with G5 Sahel countries and Member States with the backing of EU financial support;

Step up work to secure readmission agreements (or equivalent informal arrangements) with countries of origin and transit, with the support of Member States;

Engage further with Niger and Mali under the Partnership Framework to prevent movements towards Libya;

Continue to work with the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) to accelerate Assisted Voluntary Returns from Libya and Niger to countries of origin, including by providing additional funding;

Ensure with Member States a full implementation of the Partnership Framework, including beyond the original 5 priority countries, using both positive and negative leverages;

Further to the €200 million mobilised in 2017 for the North Africa window of the EU-Africa Trust Fund, ensure equivalent funding for 2018 and beyond from the EU budget and Member States;

Thursday 14th September 2017

Time: 10:00am — 4:30pm

Venue: Thon Hotel Brussels City Centre

International migration and globalisation have influenced the public policy agenda across Europe over recent decades. According to the 2016 Eurostat statistics, 20.7 million people with non-EU citizenship are residing in the European Union. Additionally, 16 million EU citizens live outside their country of origin in a different Member State. Migration movements are on the rise both within and from outside the European Union. Migrants actively contribute to the economic, social and cultural development of European societies. The key to ensuring the best possible outcomes for both the migrants and the European Union is their successful integration into host countries. With a mandate to promote integration, the EU has put several measures in place. The most recent initiative is the Integration Action Plan, adopted in June 2016, designed to support the integration of third country nationals and providing a comprehensive framework to support the Member States in developing and strengthening their integration policies. The plan covers all areas relevant to integration, such as education and employment, access to social services, and active participation in the host societies. With the creation of a European Integration Network, the Integration Action Plan also aims to strengthen mutual learning among the Member States and the coordination between different actors at national, regional and local level. Despite these efforts, integration is still widely perceived as a one-way process to be shouldered by the migrants, overlooking the responsibilities of the host societies. As long as migrants continue to be viewed as “threat” to Europe, the focus will remain economic rather than cultural and humane. If the cultural benefits and the enrichment that migrants bring to the host society remain undervalued, it will be challenging to ensure equal opportunities for migrants in Europe and to promote powerful, diverse, and multicultural societies. On a practical level, the recognition of foreign diplomas and certificates remains difficult, whilst discrimination and racism are widespread throughout the job market as well as across society. This timely international symposium provides an invaluable opportunity to discuss the current challenges of migration and integration in Europe and to reignite the debate over an EU-wide strategy to improve integration policies across the Member States. The symposium offers a platform for discussion on an improved European regulatory framework, supports the exchange of ideas and encourages delegates to engage in thought-provoking topical debate, whilst sharing best practices and lessons learnt.

Developed in partnership with the Bureau of Justice Assistance, Treatment Courts Online is the new library of training videos for treatment court practitioners, offering free lessons on the latest research and evidence-based practices. Each online course includes lessons presented by experts in the field, virtual site visits to model courts, and interviews with frontline practitioners

Brussels, 29 June 2017

Today, the European Commission presents the 8th report on progress made towards an effective and genuine Security Union, calling for an acceleration of the ongoing work to enhance the security of EU citizens. As set out in the European Council Conclusions of 22-23 June, recent attacks have once again highlighted the need to intensify the joint efforts at EU level to effectively fight terrorism, hatred and violent extremism. Against this backdrop, the Commission today outlines measures taken at EU level to counter radicalisation, fight terrorism and crime and their financing and tackle the cyber threat as well as reporting on the next steps towards interoperability of information systems. First Vice-President Frans Timmermans said: "Europe must face up to security challenges and terrorist threats together, with new action at EU level and an acceleration of our ongoing work to protect our citizens. With the backing of national leaders, the Commission has reviewed today what has been done so far, notably in fighting radicalisation and terrorist financing. We are also proposing additional measures to keep Europe safe, like making sure our EU security databases can work better together and improving our response to cyberattacks."

Countering radicalisation — online and offline

One year after presenting a set of concrete measures to support Member States in countering radicalisation – the majority of which are being implemented – the Commission is today outlining a number of additional initiatives to address in particular the use of digital communication and returning foreign terrorist fighters.

• Radicalisation online – the Commission has been working with key internet companies since 2015 including through the EU Internet Forum to detect and remove online terrorist content. In light of recent attacks however, internet platforms should step up their efforts – as called for by the European Council Conclusions of 22-23 June. To complement the work of Europol's Internet Referral Unit, the Commission calls on all Member States to establish national Internet Referral Units.
• Prevention and anti-radicalisation — The Commission will swiftly establish a High-Level Expert Group on Radicalisation to facilitate the further development and enhance the impact of EU policies in this area. The Radicalisation Awareness Network (RAN) will also carry out a series of workshops on returning terrorist fighters for national authorities.

In addition, as part of long-term measures against radicalisation, the Commission will continue to support social inclusion and integration through initiatives such as Erasmus +, the European Pillar of Social Rights as well as work with partner countries through targeted training and financial support.