1. The National Crime Prevention Strategy- A Knowledge Strategy Lucie Léonard October, 28 th 2011, Quebec

2. 1 Outline  The Breadth and Scope of Prevention  The National Crime Prevention Strategy- A Knowledge Strategy  Narrowing the Focus-Working Towards Evidence- Based Practice  Innovative, Promising and Model Programs in Canada  Making it Happens on the Ground- Lessons Learned and Issues for the Future

3. 2 Reintegration/ Post-conviction Police Cautioning and Warnings Pre-Charge Diversion Post-Charge Diversion Sentence Advisory/Circles IncidentCharges Court ProcessSentence Law enforcementPreventing further crime Working with offenders to prevent recidivism Early prevention: Addressing risk and protective factors in at-risk children and families Situational prevention: Making crime more difficult and less rewarding Targeting high risk communities and populations most at-risk of offending The breadth and scope of crime prevention

4. 3 The National Crime Prevention Centre in Public Safety ● Situated in the Community Safety and Partnerships Branch, Public Safety Canada

5. 4 National Crime Prevention Strategy The National Crime Prevention Strategy, established in 1998, new strategic directions in 2007/8. Its mission statement is to: Provide national leadership on effective and cost-efficient ways to both prevent and reduce crime in high risk populations and places. These strategic directions to then: ● Focus resources on what is most effective at preventing and reducing crime among at-risk individuals and in at-risk communities. ● Obtain measurable results with the projects. ● Better utilize knowledge in project funding decisions.

6. 5 National Crime Prevention Strategy  Evidence-based:  Uses knowledge base of promising and model programs (e.g. SNAP™, Multisystemic therapy, Leadership and Resiliency).  Focused:  Priority issues (e.g. drug related crime, youth gangs);  High crime neighbourhoods and communities.  Targeted:  At-risk children and youth (aged 6 to 17) and young adults (aged 18 to 24);  Aboriginal peoples and Northern communities; and  High-risk adult offenders no longer under correctional supervision.

7. 6 Narrowing the Focus: Risk Factors ● Criminogenic risk factors refer to characteristics that increase the likelihood of an individual committing a crime. They are: ­ Individual-related: impulsiveness; alienation; rebelliousness; substance abuse; aggressiveness; delinquent behaviour ­ Family-related: substance abuse; violence and breakdown; harsh or incoherent discipline; criminal history in parents ­ Peer-related: deviant friends; friends in gangs ­ School-related: poor school performance; truancy; suspensions ­ Community-related: availability of firearms or drugs; lack of social networks.

8. 7 Narrowing the Focus: Evidence-based Interventions ● Evaluation studies conducted over the last 15 years in the U.S., the U.K., Canada and Australia have established the knowledge base of effective and not so effective programs ● Effective programs: ­ focus on the “right” persons (i.e., at-risk youth) ­ deliver the right interventions, and they ­ involve the right dosage (number of hours, over how many months) ● Effective interventions are adapted to the needs of the individuals, usually are cognitive-behavioural (changing attitudes and behaviour), and involve some form of positive youth development and pro-social modelling to create alternatives for youth at-risk ● Effective preventative interventions are cost-effective: ratio of $2 to $7, depending on which program, for each $1 invested ● The NCPC continuously documents the knowledge base of promising and model programs and publishes information (e.g., compendium of promising and model programs, implementation fact sheets).

9. 8 Narrowing the Focus: Different Approach to Funding ● Funding is now largely in the form of contribution agreements rather than grants and contribution agreements now include more stringent reporting systems (both activity and financial-based). ● Funding is now involving much larger sums (up to $1.5M per year over five years) to ensure critical mass was achieved. ● Funding is now supporting projects with multiple implementation sites ● Funding management is now more risk-based.

10. 9 Focusing on Key Priority Issues ● Children (6 – 11), youth (12 – 17) and young adults (18 – 24) who present multiple risk factors ● Aboriginal and Northern communities ● Former offenders in communities who may present high level of risk to re- offend ● Priority crime issues: youth gangs, drug-related crimes

11. 10 Working Towards Evidence-Based Practice ● Recognition of implementation gaps and the ability to tailor evidence (model programs) -what works best- to local context and local conditions ● Acceptance of the evidence-based approach by decision-makers ● Utilization of Evidence-Based research by practitioners ● Transfer of knowledge and; ● Establishment of evidence through high quality evaluations of crime prevention programs

12. 11 Innovative, Promising and Model Programs in Canada

13. 12 Children under 12 Who Commit Offences- SNAP® Model “An Award Winning Evidence Based Model”

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17. 16 Working Differently with Partners ● Crime prevention in communities is very much a partnership approach: ­ Local :(municipal, the justice system, NGOs and volunteer sector): bring resources together to design and implement comprehensive initiatives ­ Provincial and Territorial: main risk factors associated with crime and victimization fall within the constitutional responsibility; they set standards and targets for performance, and provide supports to allow the delivery of effective evidence-based programming ­ National: focus on evidence-based practices and invest in research and development in crime prevention; assure effective dissemination of lessons learned

18. 17 Obtaining Measurable Results: How? ● Evaluations of projects ­ 14 robust, external evaluation studies ongoing at multiple sites across the country ● Synthesizing, organizing and disseminating practice-oriented knowledge ­ Building the Evidence Series on ● Evaluation ● Youth at-Risk ­ Crime Prevention in Action Series ­ Special Research Reports Series ● Training and Technical Assistance ­ Training and knowledge seminars for community organizations, provinces and territories ­ Communities of Practice (COPs)

19. 18 Obtaining Measurable Results: What? ● What works: Determining what types of interventions work best to reduce offending behaviour and related risks factors, in order to inform the future direction of crime prevention. ● How does it work: Unpacking the processes (dosage, characteristics of delivery, etc.) in order to foster the successful implementation of effective practices in other communities. ● How efficiently: To learn how cost-effective NCPC funded interventions are, in order to reduce the costs of crime and its consequent victimization and criminal justice costs.

20. 19 Successful Elements of Interventions Key elements of successful interventions and strategies have been Idenfitied to prevent and reduce youth gangs and youth crime: ● Partnership: The involvement of key partners, especially the police, to integrate crime prevention and reduction programs, including other federal government departments, the Provinces and Territories, relevant national organizations, municipalities, police services and local community-based organizations, is vital. ● Targeted approach: A balanced and focused approach in response to specific crime issues affecting the most vulnerable/at-risk groups and places. ● Integration: There is recognition of the importance of integrating crime prevention efforts with law enforcement, courts and corrections. ● Evidence-led practice : The scientific evidence on what interventions work in addressing risk factors in at-risk populations and places is used to inform the development of projects and in funding decisions.

21. 20 Next Steps: Short-Term ● Integrate the new cycle of Youth Gang Prevention Fund (YGPF) into the NCPS ● Integrate A Security Infrastructure Program (SIP) ● Develop criteria to prioritize project applications once funding is available ­ All funds committed for 2011-12 ­ Significant portion already committed for 2012-13 ● Develop more knowledge on the prevalence and distribution of risk factors in Canadian youth ­ Conduct a population-based study with other federal departments

22. 21 Next Steps: Medium- to Long-Term ● Evaluation of the National Crime Prevention Strategy in 2012 ­ Clear set of performance indicators ­ Data collection strategy ­ Diagnostic scan of emerging policy issues ● Working with partners and stakeholders to explore opportunities and methods for providing support to projects demonstrating success. ● Examine the potential of social enterprise (social innovation) in crime prevention.

23. 22 Conclusion – So what now? ● The current evidence-base on what works to prevent crime among some priority groups and populations (e.g. youth gangs) is growing, but is still limited in Canada ● Targeted and focused interventions will produce measurable results for the prevention of crime ● Projects that produce measurable results provide us with an opportunity to build on the existing knowledge and evidence- base ● Further development and use of practical tools and resources to assist practitioners in the effective implementation and evaluation of crime prevention projects is needed.

24. 23 Lucie Léonard National Crime Prevention Centre Department of Public Safety Canada Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0H8 (613) 957-6362 For more Information