Pubdate: Fri, 22 Sep 2006
Source: Ottawa Citizen (CN ON)
Copyright: 2006 The Ottawa Citizen
Contact:  http://www.canada.com/ottawa/ottawacitizen/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/326
Author: Suzanne Ma, The Ottawa Citizen

PREVENTION OF CRIME INSTITUTE LAUNCHED

Research Facility Aims To Thwart Criminality

A new research venture that will receive $1.6 million in federal 
funding was launched by the University of Ottawa yesterday, aimed at 
fighting crime by preventing it from happening in the first place.

The Institute for the Prevention of Crime is the first of its kind in 
Canada, and will identify the causes of crime and feed that research 
to policy-makers. The institute will operate out of the department of 
criminology at the University of Ottawa.

"No one seriously thinks it's a great idea to wait until someone gets 
cancer and then treat them extensively in hospital," said criminology 
professor Irvin Waller, who is director of the institute. "We know 
some of the risk factors linked to cancer and we know that if we 
detect those early, we can prevent it. This works the same way. We 
know an awful lot about people who get seriously involved with crime, 
and a better way to deal with that is to invest early, before things get bad."

Mr. Waller said the criminal justice system has been equipped to 
focus on offenders, and more attention must be paid to those who have 
the potential to become criminals. The institute is anchored by three 
professors and two other researchers, but includes a network of crime 
prevention experts from 13 Canadian cities.

"We think there is a huge amount of information out there that will 
allow us to make better investments with limited resources around 
crime and justice," Mr. Waller said. "The institute will make that 
knowledge more easily accessible."

Research will be available to the public, but will primarily target 
policy and decision-makers as well as key government administrators, 
through workshops and publications.

Melanie Bania, a PhD candidate in the criminology department, has 
seen how early prevention can help young people steer away from a 
life of crime.

She cites a 1999 partnership between Ottawa police and community 
agencies and businesses that targeted children from ages six to 12 in 
two social housing complexes in the city. As children were involved 
in skills training, a sports and recreation program, a homework club, 
and counselling, both housing complexes experienced a drop in police 
calls. One complex experienced a 50-per-cent drop in the first 
year-and-a-half of the program. Funding for the program ran out in 2003.

Ms. Bania said such programs need stable funding so that crime 
prevention can be a constant in all communities.

"People need to pay attention to prevention ... so that communities 
aren't left high and dry once funding runs out," she said. "We need 
to help policy-makers make decisions based on evidence, based on what 
we know works."
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MAP posted-by: Elaine