Proactive approach to crime-fighting effective, says Canadian judge
Published:Wednesday | September 25, 2019 | 12:21 AMNickoy Wilson/Gleaner Writer
Ontario Court of Appeal judge Justice Michael Tulloch says that a proactive approach to crime-fighting has been proven to be effective.
“An increase into understanding the social determinants of crime has led Canadian criminal justice policymakers…to gradually shift the focus from traditionally reactive and adversarial response to crime, and the treatment of offenders to a more proactive approach with a focus on restorative justice and crime prevention,” Tulloch said.
The judge was speaking at the Crime Stop Anniversary Banquet held on Saturday at the Spanish Court Hotel in St Andrew on the social determinants of crime and some proven strategies to combat it.
Tulloch said that people usually commit crimes because they cannot meet their basic human needs, such as food and housing. Further, he said that they also commit crimes because of a sense of hopelessness.
“Without hope, there is no reason to delay our gratification or to aspire to anything other than pure survival. This sense of hopeless is indeed a result of many social factors, which leads individuals to make decisions and choices based on their survival instinct, rather than a rational, value-based system,” he said.
Cost-efficient approach
The judge, who was appointed to the Ontario Court of Appeal in 2012, said a proactive approach to tackling crime proves to be more cost-efficient.
“When one looks at the cost-benefit analysis, it is clear that these measures are cost-effective. The cost of the programme is less than the associated cost of increased crime, including increased cost in the criminal justice system, increased levels of incarceration, decreased levels of productivity and so on. Not just Canadian, but international authorities such as the United Nations and the World Bank agree that crime prevention through social development is effective, particularly with youth and children,” Tulloch said.
However, the Ontario Court of Appeal judge said that these social development programmes cannot be developed and implemented in isolation.
“There is no ideal approach. The common denominator is that successful interventions are evidence-based, starting with a clear diagnostic about the types of crime or violence and the risk factors, ending with the careful evaluation of the intervention’s impact, which will lead to future actions,” he said.