Public Health Approaches to Crime Prevention: Alternative Sources of Data Julius Lang, Center for Court Innovation International Centre for the Prevention of Crime 5th International Conference on Crime Observation and Criminal Analysis November 3-6, 2015 Ciudad de México, México
Mission of the Center Help promote more effective and humane justice systems by: designing and implementing operating programs performing original research providing reformers with tools to launch new strategies Center for Court Innovation Demonstration projects Research Expert assistance International dissemination/ learning Center for Court Innovation 2
Public Health Approach In these examples: law enforcement involved in public health approach with other agencies Common goal: police, public health and other agencies collaborate to reduce crime This presentation: examples of how alternative data sources have facilitated innovative crime-reduction initiatives 3
Public Health Approach Key Elements 1. Define and monitor the problem: who, what, when, where and how (Police reports, medical examiner files, vital records, hospital charts, registries, population-based surveys and other sources) 2. Identify risk and protective factors: Which protect? Which put at risk? (Where to focus prevention?) 3. Develop and test prevention strategies: Design: Research data, findings from needs assessments, community surveys, stakeholder interviews and focus groups 4. Ensure widespread adoption: Dissemination for effective strategies (training, networking, technical assistance and evaluation) Center for Court Innovation 4
Milwaukee Homicide Review Commission Data Sources Milwaukee Homicide Review Commission combines data from: 1. police department 2. prosecutor s office 3. courts 4. health department 5. health care providers 6. housing 7. education 8. economic development 9. other sources Center for Court Innovation 5
Milwaukee Homicide Review Commission Sources of data? Traditional and alternative sources How used? Multi-agency commission parses out trends relating to victims, neighborhoods, nature of offenses, and relation to perpetrator e.g. Don t buy for your guy campaign targeting young black females who were purchasing guns used in shootings Results: 52% decrease in homicides in intervention districts compared to 9.2% reduction in comparison districts Center for Court Innovation 6
Milwaukee Homicide Review Commission Example: Police data Source: Milwaukee Homicide Review Commission Center for Court Innovation 7
Milwaukee Homicide Review Commission Example: Economic development data (neighborhood assets) Source: Milwaukee Homicide Review Commission 8
Milwaukee Homicide Review Commission Sample Multi-Sector Recommendations Source: Milwaukee Homicide Review Commission 9
Cardiff Violence Prevention Program Sources of data? Hospital staff: nature of incident, location/date/time, and weapon used. How used? Anonymized information entered into database and shared with crime analyst who combines with police data to generate maps and summaries of violent incidents Center for Court Innovation 10
Cardiff Violence Prevention Program Cardiff Community Safety Partnership Sharing data, crafting interventions Standing, left to right: South Wales Police Commissioner's representative, Local Authority official, Cardiff Emergency Department senior nurse, Cardiff County Licensing official, Public Health lead, Cardiff Safety Partnership chief analyst, Cardiff Street Pastors' manager, three South Wales Police officers. Sitting: left to right: Cardiff Licensees Forum spokesman, Police Chief, Professor of oral and maxillofacial surgery (Group chairman). Center for Court Innovation 11
Cardiff Violence Prevention Program Menu of sample interventions: Policing: Targeted street patrols, closed-circuit TV cameras, redeployment of police from outlying neighborhoods into city center at night. Situational: Plastic glassware, fast food outlet relocation. Environmental: Pedestrianization of entertainment streets, continuous nighttime street cleaning (fear of crime measure) Center for Court Innovation 12
Cardiff Violence Prevention Program Results Cardiff saw significant (32 percent) relative reduction in assaultrelated injuries recorded by police over four-year period when compared with 14 similar cities Center for Court Innovation 13
Focused Deterrence (Also called: Operation Ceasefire, Group Violence Intervention) Alternative data? Identifying the violent groups in a geographic area, their members, areas of operation, and their conflicts and alliances ( Group auditing/mapping ) How used? Law enforcement, community members, and social service providers join together to engage directly with street groups to communicate an anti-violence message Center for Court Innovation 14
Focused Deterrence Example of data: relationships between groups 15
Focused Deterrence Results Community members speaking at a call-in in High Point, North Carolina Reductions in citywide homicides by a range from 35 to 60% (National Network for Safe Communities) Center for Court Innovation 16
Social Network Analysis Traditional data, non-traditional analysis Sociologist Andrew Papachristos of Yale University: Sources of data? Connections between people, identified through police records of co-arrests and field stops How used? High risk group members (especially co-offenders) identified through the data analysis are given custom notifications which disrupt street group networks and make city antiviolence messages more effective Results: Allows a more directed approach, enabling law enforcement and public health officials to leverage limited resources. Cincinnati: 41% reduction in group member-involved homicide Center for Court Innovation 17
Greening of Vacant Lots 18
Greening of Vacant Lots Sources of data? Master database of over 50,000 vacant lots in Philadelphia How used? With input from police, nearly 4,500 vacant lots were cleaned and greened from 1999 to 2008 Center for Court Innovation 19
Greening of Vacant Lots Center for Court Innovation 20
Greening of Vacant Lots Results Study (1999 2008) examining health and safety outcomes on and around vacant lots. - Dr. Charles Branas of University of Pennsylvania Untreated control lots were randomly selected and matched to treated lots by section of the city, within four of the five sections of Philadelphia. Research: significant reductions in gun assaults across most of Philadelphia and significant reductions in vandalism in one section of the city. Vacant lot greening also associated with residents in certain sections of the city reporting significantly less stress and more exercise. New 5-year study begun in 2013: randomly selected lots, 1/3 with full monthly maintenance, 1/3 with trash pickup only; 1/3 left alone Center for Court Innovation 21
Further Information langj@courtinnovation.org www.courtinnovation.org twitter: @courtinnovation