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- Showing 10 posts filed under: Region: Europe [–] published between Jul 01, 2010 and Jul 31, 2010 [Show all]
Vandalism discovered at home of activists
from the article by Evan Brandt at pottstownmercury.com:
Four days after speaking out at a Borough Council meeting about the need to more closely regulate landlords, Katy Jackson woke up to find that green paint had been sprayed along the wall and side door of her house.
And some reed fencing she and her husband David had recently erected was slashed.
Police investigating the incident said there is no evidence that the vandalism was related to her outspokenness, and the evidence points to a random act of vandalism by a handful of teens.
Jul 30, 2010 Story, Country:England&Wales, Region: Europe
European Commission's Victims' Package: Consultation on taking action on rights, support and protection of victims of crime and violence
from the announcement in the European Commission's Freedom, Security and Justice area:
The Commission intends to adopt a package of measures, including a Directive on minimum standards for victims of crime, in the first half of 2011 in particular to replace the 2001 Framework Decision on the standing of victims. This consultation gives stakeholders the opportunity to present their views about which concrete actions could be developed at EU level that would bring real added value. It will also give the Commission an insight into concrete experiences of those working with victims of crime, particularly regarding the difficulties they encounter when assisting victims and the problems faced by those victims. The Commission is looking in particular for reliable data, factual information and specific real-life examples, regarding both problems and solutions.
Jul 29, 2010 Region: Europe, Support, Mediation, Other, Victim, Restitution
Criminals could cut sentences by saying ‘sorry’
from the by Anushka Asthana and Jamie Doward in The Observer:
Tens of thousands of offenders may be able to reduce their sentences by making personal apologies to their victims, under plans for a “rehabilitation revolution” in the criminal justice system.
Crispin Blunt, the prisons minister, is considering the move as part of a drive to offer victims the chance to come face-to-face with the person who committed the crime against them. A report released today by two charities, Victim Support and the Restorative Justice Consortium, suggests the policy could save £185m in two years by cutting reoffending.
Jul 28, 2010 Dialogue, Country:England&Wales, Victim, Offender, Other, Region: Europe, Prison
Crime victims treated like the 'poor relation'
from Dominic Casciani's article on BBC.co.uk:
The first commissioner for victims of crime in England and Wales says the criminal justice system treats them as a poor relation and an afterthought.
Too often victims found themselves a "sideshow" as police, prisons, lawyers and the courts focused on the offender, Louise Casey said.
She said too much time was spent trying to help all crime victims, rather than focusing on those in genuine need.
Jul 28, 2010 Country:England&Wales, Region: Europe, Support, Mediation, Other, Victim
Hatfield research into youth crime project
from the article by Alex Lewis in St Albans and Harpenden Review:
A scheme to bring children in care homes who cause trouble together with their victims has been a success, a study at Hatfield's University of Hertfordshire has shown.
Jul 22, 2010 Report, Country:England&Wales, Evaluation, Region: Europe
Vandals repair damage they did
from the article in NewsWales.co.uk:
Last November a group of young people caused criminal damage to the Rhydyfelin Children’s Centre in Holly Street, Rhydyfelin, by smashing windows and lights, removing a gas meter cover, and spraying graffiti.
Following a successful police investigation five local boys aged 9 to 13 were identified by CCTV and traced.
After admitting to what they had done, and at the request of the centre manager, a restorative justice meeting was held with the police, the centre, the boys and their parents. It was agreed that the boys would carry out work at the centre as recompense for their actions.
Jul 21, 2010 Juvenile, Practice, Country:England&Wales, Region: Europe
Time for a fresh start: The report of the Independent Commission on Youth Crime and Antisocial Behaviour
From the executive summary of the report by the Independent Commission on Youth Crime and Antisocial Behaviour:
The Commission’s inquiry was prompted by concern about deep-rooted failings in the response to antisocial behaviour and crime involving children and young people. Large sums of public money are currently wasted across England and Wales because:
- Investment in proven preventive measures and constructive sanctions is too low
- Children and young people who could be turned away from a life of crime are not receiving timely help and support
- Those involved in persistent and serious offending are often treated in ways that do little to prevent reoffending – and may make their criminal behaviour worse.
- tackling antisocial behaviour, crime and reoffending through the underlying circumstances and needs in children and young people’s lives (a principle of prevention)
- ensuring that children and young people responsible for antisocial behaviour and crime face meaningful consequences that hold them accountable for the harm caused to victims and the wider community (a principle of restoration)
- seeking to retain children and young people who offend within mainstream society or to reconnect them in ways that enable them to lead law-abiding lives (a principle of ntegration).
Jul 16, 2010 Report, Juvenile, Country:England&Wales, Region: Europe, Government
Ken Clarke says imprisonment not linked to crime fall
From the 14 July 2010 article on BBC News.
There is no link between rising levels of imprisonment and falling crime, Justice Secretary Ken Clarke has said.
With crime having fallen in most of the Western world in the 1990s, he said the decline may have been due to economic growth and high employment levels.
Meanwhile, the Chief Inspector of Prisons for England and Wales, Dame Anne Owers, warned that "overpopulated" prisons are "increasingly brittle".
She said the government should invest in alternatives to locking people up.
Jul 15, 2010 Country:England&Wales, Region: Europe
A Business Case for Restorative Justice and Policing
From the article written by ACC Garry Shewan, ACPO Lead on Restorative and Community Justice written for the Restorative Justice Consortium's quarterly newsletter Resolution.
There is already widespread evidence worldwide about the positive impact that Restorative Justice (RJ) can have on both offending behaviour and upon victims.
RJ is not a new phenomenon and has been around for a number of years. It has developed at varying degrees around the world. For example the use of restorative justice has been embedded in Aboriginal and Maori cultures in Australia and New Zealand for centuries.
However, the uptake of the process has been much slower in the Northern Hemisphere, particularly within the UK.
Criminological theories such as Labelling and Re-integrative shaming suggests that retributive justice can make matters worse by alienating both offender and victim. Offenders stigmatized by the CJS are often drawn together to form their own sub cultures (often with higher social capital than the communities they offend – Rhys Jones). The needs of ‘communities’ when faced with law breaking and anti-social behaviour are different from purely revenge and payback.
RJ focuses on the victim as the core element in the process, whether it is an individual, group of people or indeed the community as a whole. Victims are not left outside of the process feeling little control – it places them at the centre. It seeks to heal the responses and implications of crime and wrong-doing by meeting the needs of victims, offenders and communities.
Jul 13, 2010 Country:England&Wales, Police, Region: Europe
Nick Herbert's speech to the Policy Exchange
Nick Herbert is the Minister for Policing and Criminal Justice in the new British government. This speech, given 23 June 2010, outlined the Coalition government's reform agenda.
Individual and social responsibility is the third and in many ways the most important principle that we will apply to the criminal justice reform. An effective criminal justice system should be based on a fair apportioning of personal responsibility. Offenders need to know that their actions have consequences.
Jul 05, 2010 Politics, Country:England&Wales, Region: Europe
