Local Government's effective community responses

Abstract

The challenge before us is to find the right set of interventions to prevent criminal behaviour among young people, and prevent that behaviour becoming a lifelong activity. The two main strategies are on the one hand to reduce the supply of motivated offenders, and on the other to make crime more difficult to commit. Crime is the result of complex changes in economic, social and cultural factors such as unemployment, dysfunctional families, child abuse, poor education, community breakdown, economic inequality and substance abuse. If crime prevention is to succeed it should focus on broad social outcomes, for example reducing social exclusion. Compelling evidence suggests that those who feel excluded from participation in community life are more likely to offend against that community. Addressing this sense of exclusion can reduce the risk of offending. In simple terms the criminal justice domain plays only a small part in crime prevention and preventing the supply of motivated offenders.