School dropouts, unsupportive homes, aid violent criminal behaviour

Aug 15, 2011 News

-UNODC report

A thorough assessment of the country context should be a precursor to any crime prevention and criminal justice reform, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) 2010-2011 report.
The agency said in a 2010-2011 report that crime prevention and criminal justice reform should be undertaken in full knowledge of the political, economic, social and cultural context. It should also be fully grounded on an in-depth analysis of the rule of law and justice system context of each country, including the condition and the nature of the country’s rule of law system (both formal and informal/customary/traditional) and the culture, traditions and institutions that underline that system, including the role of gender in society, the position of minority groups, and the situation of children.
The UNDOC also noted that it is important to ensure that the human rights of women and vulnerable groups such as children, minorities, refugees and displaced persons, or other groups that may be subject to marginalization, as set out in international law, are addressed in the context of crime prevention and criminal justice reform.
Adding that the need for national ownership of crime prevention and criminal justice reforms is crucial, the report stated that change imposed from outside is rarely successful. National ownership means more than consultation or the cursory participation of national actors. It means that national stakeholders, inter alia, government officials, justice officials, national legal professionals, traditional leaders, women, children, minorities, refugees and displaced persons, other marginalized groups and civil society, should meaningfully participate in reforms. Meaningful ownership requires the legal empowerment of all segments of society.
The UNODC further noted that in the past two decades States have increasingly recognized the importance of strengthening their capacities to prevent crime through multi-sectoral and multi-disciplinary approaches which are based on the socio-economic development, justice and security sector dimensions or perspectives. In addition, States have increasingly recognized the central role of crime data to inform crime prevention policies, strategies and programmes.
In addition, despite the inherent value of the primary prevention, there is a need for governments to invest more in secondary prevention: which deals with prevention targeting those at risk of engagement in violent and criminal behaviour, in particular the youth – the age group constituting the majority of perpetrators and victims of crime and violence. Various studies have shown that investing in young people at risk will have a positive impact on social and economic development.
However, understanding the nature and prevalence of risky youth behaviours is therefore central to the development of policies for at-risk youth. Early school drop outs, unsupportive homes and unemployment are among the key recognized risk factors for youth engagement in violent and criminal behaviour. Prevention programmes which are holistic and target several risk behaviours and factors are more efficient than those that target only one.
The UNODC cited another important lesson that criminal justice reformers should keep in mind is that criminal justice reform is “….both a project for institution-building and a cultural project of shaping attitudes and commitments…” It is, therefore, a long-term investment, sometimes spanning generations and whose results could not, and should not, be judged within the life of a project-cycle. What is also important to acknowledge is that criminal justice reform is an ongoing process.
The overall objective of UNODC on crime prevention and criminal justice reform is to support countries to promote and establish effective, fair and humane crime prevention policies, strategies and programmes, and criminal justice systems which are based on the rule of law and are in line with the international human rights standards.

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School dropouts, unsupportive homes, aid violent criminal behaviour

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