Crime Prevention & Community Policing Flashcards
exam
crime families; Intergenerational Crime & Research Data
- Behavioural patterns shared across family generations, however not all criminal parents bear criminal children.
- Higher recidivism rates + longer prison sentences.
- Offenses include: aggrevated theft, robbery, drug trafficking + violence.
- Research data: Intergenerational Crime Database Malta (1950-2010); researchers mapped + identified 622 crime family trees.
- 1 in 3 individuals in CCF are part of a crime family. (value of intergenerational mapping to track and understand crime trends)
crime families - Familial Relationships (crime clusters, co-offending)
- Crime clusters: criminal activity is concentrated within a small number of families, where planning + organisation is key.
………………………………………………………………………………… - Co-offending often involves:
- siblings (mainly brothers)
- parent-child pairs (father-son relationships)
- spouses
- as the family grows, relationships & criminal activity become more intricate, complex, and severe. larger crime families exhibit greater ” readiness to offend” + more serious offenses.
…………………………………………………………………………………
crime families - Characteristics (4)
characteristics include:
* Well-Organised Crime: crimes comitted by these families often require careful planning + trusted accomplices.
Therefore, offenses are usually deliberate & completed - reflecting meticulous organisation (absence of attempted crimes).
- Generational Continuity: convictions span across 2 to 5 generations - highest incidence in 2nd gen families.
- Family dynamics, relationships, influences or structures can lead to varying types & levels of offending among individuals. - children follow their parents’ criminal paths (mirror parents’ crimes).
- Fusion of crime families: marriages, step-parenting, close family ties create intricate networks that further enrich criminal activity.
crime families - co-offending in Malta
Malta’s small size + close knit communities make it challenging for individuals to detach from familial criminal roots, facilitating –> Assortative Partnering. (partnering with familial backgrounds)
- ex: Joseph & Annalise Brignone (siblings) charged with aggravated possession + trafficking of drugs synthetic drugs & cannabis + money laundering.
Specific urban areas with high levels of socioeconomic disadvantage have been identified as “offender hotspots”.
* these areas show correlation with crime families (crimes are intergenerational, influenced by: poverty, lack of education, social exclusion). {Bugibba, Hamrun, Marsa, Valletta}
youth crime: Maltese case study (Juveniles in Jeopardy)
on male youths with criminal records in the Juvenile court which later on were incarcerated as adults.
- found that: early risk factors play a significant role in criminal tendencies that persist into adulthood.
- Cumulative consequences of youth crime create barriers to change [limited education ..]
youth crime: 4 main risk factors
- EDUCATION
- CONDUCT BEHAVIOUR
- FAMILY RISK FACTORS
- SOCIAL/PEER RISK FACTORS
youth crime: EDUCATION risk factor
- truancy
- education contraventions
- behaviour at school
- school dropouts
- school performance (illiterate)
- absenteeism
youth crime: CONDUCT BEHAVIOUR risk factor
- sensation-seeking activities
- no concern for others
- inability to delay gratification
- lack of self-control
- impulsive + irrational
- inability to foresee consequences in behaviour
youth crime: FAMILY risk factors
- crime in family
- lax parenting, co-operated in illegal activities, care order
- lack of parenting skills + control, abdicated from parenting responsabilities
- passive & erratic, no disciplinary measures
- institutionalisation
- family discord
- minimal time spent with parents
- bad relationship with parents: abused mother, absent parent, seperated, deserted, died.
youth crime: SOCIAL/PEER risk factors
- co-offending
- unemployed parents
- street life - most of the day out, doesnt come home at night
- live in high crime areas/ new residential area
- substance abuse
- socio-economic backgorund; finanical problems
- delinquent peers; antisocial/criminal tendencies
initiatives + strategies malta is taking to reduce crime trends? ( 6 crime prevention strategies)
- SCHOOL-BASED PREVENTION
- YOUTH JUSTICE
- POLICING for crime prevention
- CRIME FAMILIES
- FOCUSING ON REDUCTION OF SPECIFIC CRIMES + RE-OFFENDING + RE-VICTIMISATION ( specifically pickpocketing & recidivism)
- SITUATIONAL CRIME
School-Based Prevention strategy ( 3 key proposals)
-
Specialized programs to reduce violence. {domestic violence as a precursor to youth crime + target high-risk areas (e.g., Birżebbuġia, San Pawl il-Baħar, Floriana) +
train professionals and set up strategy groups for implementation. -
Violence prevention curriculum
{Reshape attitudes toward aggression +
use booklets, videos, and conflict resolution techniques +
develop & implement with input from educators, law enforcement, and victim support. -
College-based programs for crime prevention
{Address geographically specific crime issues + establish support units in schools +
propose family-based initiatives and target delinquent behaviors through multi-disciplinary collaboration}
Youth Justice strategy (2 fold initiative)
-
Review and planning
{Establish a review panel with experts from DPP, Police, Juvenile Court, education, and Aġenzija Żgħażagħ +
Conduct a thorough review of youth justice in Malta +
Transition the panel into a strategy committee to plan and oversee initiatives} -
Implementation of front-line services and intervention teams
{Front-Line Services: Support for arrested youths & their families during legal processes +
Intervention Teams: Provide mentorship, monitor progress, & ensure custodial /community-based sanctions support rehabilitation}
Policing for crime prevention (3 initiatives)
-
Training police officers in specialized areas
{Domestic violence.
Sexual offending.
Pickpocketing.
Shoplifting.
Elderly safety.
Community policing principles} -
Community policing
{Phase 1: Establish a think tank, define roles, and provide training by region.
Phase 2: Collaborate with local councils and stakeholders to operationalize community policing.
Phase 3: Proactively address geographic and spatial crime issues. -
Targeted policing
{focuses on specific crime hotspots and times (e.g., pickpocketing, drug possession, theft) +
Relies on evidence-based approaches and patrols in high-risk areas +
Includes public awareness campaigns to educate residents on preventing victimization.}
Crime Families (2 initiatives)
-
Addressing the needs of children from crime families
{Hotlines; Provides mental health support, educational resources, and career guidance +
Offers services such as counseling, youth outreach, family workshops, play therapy, and academic support} -
Tackling ecological factors that promote crime
{Creates a think tank with professionals in criminology, urban planning, and law enforcement +
Designs strategies to address both crime-promoting factors +
Focuses on improving neighborhoods and reducing environmental contributors to crime}
