Crime Control Research Articles

CHALLENGES CONFRONTING VIGILANTE GROUPS IN EFFECTIVE CRIME CONTROL IN BENUE STATE, NIGERIA

Vigilante groups’ contributions to crime control are invaluable. However, the activities of vigilante groups have faced operational and institutional challenges. These challenges have negatively affected the operations of vigilante groups in crime control in Benue State. The study investigated the challenges of vigilante groups in crime control in Benue State with a view to suggesting ways of curbing those challenges for enhanced effectiveness of vigilante groups in Benue State. Three Local Government Areas – Katsina-Ala, Makurdi, and Oturkpo, were selected across the three Senatorial districts in Benue State for the study. The population of the study comprised vigilante operatives, religious leaders, traditional rulers and members of the public. The study adopted a survey design. Questionnaire and in-depth interview (IDI) were used to generate data from 367 respondents using the Taro Yamane sample size determination formula. Simple random sampling and purposive sampling were deployed for the selection of respondents and interviewees. Twelve interview sessions were conducted across the sampled Local Government Areas. The quantitative data were presented in frequency and percentages while qualitative data were presented in narrative form. The study identified lack of logistics, shortage of crime fighting equipment, absence of enabling legal instrument for the operation of vigilante groups, human rights violation, corruption, insufficient training among vigilantes and vested interests, as the challenges of vigilante group in the study area. The study recommends the enactment of laws recognizing vigilante groups; provision of needed crime fighting equipment by stakeholders; adequate funding, provision of logistic support as well as proper training and reorientation of vigilante operatives to respect the fundamental human rights of suspects.

Does Perceived Procedural Justice in Policing Predict Future Offending? Findings From a Sample of Justice-Involved Individuals

Recent scholarship suggests attitudes toward the police and law are important facets of crime control efforts. Procedurally just policing is recognized as a predictor of citizens’ cooperation and confidence in the police, but it remains unclear whether it can also reduce criminal behavior. Using a sample of justice-involved individuals, this study examined whether procedurally just policing predicts future offending and, if so, whether its effect is due to perceived legitimacy of the law. Results showed that procedurally just policing was negatively associated with recidivism, and legitimacy of the law mediated this link. The results suggest that enhancing procedural justice in policing practice in at-risk communities should be considered a critical component of crime prevention.

The challenges of the European and Albanian legislation on the procedures for the surrender of persons wanted by criminal justice

Abstract When we talk about the challenges of the European and Albanian legislation on the surrender of persons wanted by criminal justice, the picture of the Albanian law and the operation of the law comes to mind. But today more and more measures are being taken to develop the legislative power and its functioning. These measures have also been taken in drafting and in administrative and judicial execution. Today, there is more and more talk about justice reforms; such are the challenges that Albania faces when it comes to cooperation with the EU in relation to the procedures for handing over persons wanted by law. It is such a challenge, because Albania’s legislation must be in line with that of the EU. When we talk about compliance or Acquis communautaire, we mean the interoperability that the legislative, judicial and executive powers must follow. Talking about the justice reform in Albania, we understand and analyse more closely the issue of corruption. The globalization of criminal activities has created a need to strengthen international cooperation. The investigation, prosecution and control of crime cannot be confined within national borders.

Institutional distrust trap: an analysis of the effect of public distrust in the Nigeria Police Force

ABSTRACT This article explores an effect of distrust of the police – unwillingness to rely on them for security and justice – on policing dynamics in contemporary Nigeria using a qualitative research design. It argues that policing according to formal prescriptions such as the Criminal Procedure Act is virtually impossible in contemporary Nigeria because of this pervasive public distrust. At the same time, police officers resort to informal processes that further undermine public trust in the criminal justice system and create a self-defeating cycle that allows many to justify support for or active participation in illegal forms of crime control, including lynching by mobs and extra-legal killing by security forces. This proposition is significant for policing studies in two ways. Firstly, it suggests a trust threshold that, when breached, leads to policing collapse. Despite widespread distrust, many police forces maintain order. Secondly, it reveals how distrust perpetuates itself, even amid attempts at reform in various countries.

Towards a social harm approach in drug policy

In this paper, we explore how the social harm approach can be adapted within drug policy scholarship. Since the mid-2000s, a group of critical criminologists have moved beyond the concept of crime and criminology, towards the study of social harm. This turn proceeds decades of research that highlights the inequities within the criminal legal system, the formation of laws that protect the privileged and punish the disadvantaged, and the systemic challenge of the effectiveness of retribution and punishment at addressing harm in the community. The purpose of this paper is to first identify parallels between the social harm approach and critical drug scholarship, and second to advocate for the adoption of a social harm lens in drug policy scholarship. In the paper, we draw out the similarities between social harm and drug policy literatures, as well as outline what the study of social harm can bring to an analysis of drug policy. This includes a discussion on the ontology of drug crime, the myth of drug crime and the ineffective use of the crime control system in response to drug use. The paper then discusses how these conversations in critical criminology and critical drugs scholarship can be brought together to inform future drug policy research. This reflection details the link between social harm and the impingement of human flourishing, explores the role of decolonizing drug policy, advocates for the centralization of lived experience within the research process and outlines how this might align with harm reduction approaches. We conclude by arguing that the social harm approach challenges the idea that neutrality is the goal in drug policy and explicitly seeks to expand new avenues in activist research and social justice approaches to policymaking.

‘Valuable Lives to Save’ vs. ‘Babysitting These People While They Try to Kill Themselves’: Changing Police Attitudes Towards Safe Consumption Sites

Abstract North American police responses to the ‘drug issue’ have long been shaped by a crime control rather than a harm reduction imperative. Consequently, police officers’ responses to safe consumption sites (SCSs), where people who use illicit drugs can reduce personal health risks by administering previously obtained drugs in the presence of trained staff, were initially hostile. This paper draws on interview data from police officers in two western Canadian cities to highlight an apparent softening in attitudes, perhaps due to the current fentanyl-driven drug poisoning crisis. While some officers clearly recognized their public health benefits, others accepted SCSs, acknowledging the futility of a continued ‘war on drugs’. Some voiced reservations about SCSs, but not because of a generic ‘drugs are bad’ sentiment. Rather, they worried about specific downstream implications for communities and police work. These findings, reflecting apparent changes in police officers’ responses to SCSs, are discussed in the context of contemporary debates about police culture and the possibilities and desirability of pursuing police reform.

Proactive policing and traffic disturbances: A quasi-experiment in three Israeli cities

Abstract This paper describes a quasi-experimental evaluation of a reform in Israel (‘EMUN’), which attempted to institutionalize problem-oriented policing on a national scale. The current study examines the effect of this reform on tackling traffic disturbance and road bullying offences. We compared three police stations that chose to deal with traffic offences using the tools and techniques provided through the reform (treatment stations) with five police stations that were matched - using a specially designed algorithm - on several criteria, including similar trends of traffic offences (comparison stations). Each treatment station was compared to two comparison stations using a difference-in-differences approach. In five out of six comparisons there were large and significant reductions in documented traffic disturbances in the targeted areas of the treatment stations compared to the control stations. We also found evidence of significant diffusions in crime control benefits in two of the treatment stations. However, there was evidence of significant geographical displacement to the buffer zone in the largest treatment stations. We attribute this to differences in the nature of the areas targeted and discuss the relative harms and benefits. The findings of the study show that institutionalizing a variety of evidence-based policing strategies has a promise not only for classic crimes (such as property and violence), but also for incivilities and quality-of-life offenses.

Can increasing preventive patrol in large geographic areas reduce crime? A systematic review and meta‐analysis

AbstractResearch summaryWe conducted a systematic review and meta‐analysis examining whether increasing preventive patrol in large areas reduces crime. Our review included experimental and quasi‐experimental studies that focused on areas such as beats, precincts, or entire jurisdictions and that measured a crime outcome either through official data or surveys. We identified 17 studies to include in our review. We used two methods for assessing study impacts: an approach which identified a primary/general outcome measure and a second approach which used robust variance estimation (RVE) and included all effect sizes across each study. Both approaches showed small crime prevention benefits (RVE: 9% decline; primary/general: 6% decline), but only the RVE model was significant at conventional levels (p < 0.05). There was no significant evidence of displacement. Moderator analyses suggest that as dosage increases so do the crime prevention impacts. In RVE models, preventive patrol was associated with significant reductions in property and violent crime, but nonsignificant increases in drug and disorder offenses.Policy implicationsIncreasing preventive patrol activities has the potential to reduce crime in large administrative areas. At the same time, existing studies offer little guidance as to how such preventive patrol should be carried out. Deterrence theory, as well as evidence from studies of hot spots policing, suggests that the greatest benefits will be gained from informing patrol efforts about where and when crime occurs. Although more research is needed regarding patrol allocations in large areas, present knowledge suggests that the more such patrols can be targeted at specific places at specific times, the greater will be the crime control benefits. In this context, we argue that police agencies may want to apply a hybrid approach to police patrol, which would include a combination of hot spots policing units and general patrol units informed by data on where crime is concentrated.

경찰에 대한 시민인식의 결정요인과 차이에 관한 연구

Citizens’ support and cooperation in police activities are essential for successfully performing police duties in a democratic society. It is possible to obtain the support and cooperation of the public when the citizens’ perception of the police is positive. The study analysed the impact and differences of individual characteristics and neighbourhood characteristics on the citizens’ perception to find the determinants of the citizens’ perception of the police. It identified the impact of the independent variables such as gender, age, house income, education level, fear of crime, victimization, and neighbourhood disadvantage on the citizens’ perception of the police through multiple regression analysis. The gender, education level, fear of crime, and neighbourhood disadvantage among the independents were significant statistically at the 0.01 level. The old expressed a more positive perception of the police but the highly educated had a more negative perception. Fear of crime formed a negative perception of the police and also the people who live in the disadvantaged area, expressed dissatisfaction with the police. In conclusion, the police can obtain a positive perception from the public when they remove prejudice, ensure fair law enforcement, and implement the normative value of police activities as well as crime control. This is a base for the achievement of the their goal, the maintenance of public order.

Revisiting packer’s models: Examining Nigeria's criminal justice system in the COVID-19 and post-COVID-19 era

This review study examines the administration of criminal justice process during and after COVID-19 era in Nigeria against the backdrop of two competing criminal justice process models: Crime control and Due Process. The outbreak of COVID-19 has pushed many countries, including Nigeria, to either reinforced or altered their criminal justice practices to reflect the reality of COVID-19. Arrest, detention and prosecution of offenders became clearly predicated only on the degree of seriousness and the overall interest of the society as against the previous practice that was predicated on ‘trump up charges’ and at the will and caprices of the operators of criminal justice system. The main question we ask here is: to what extent has COVID-19 mediated and impacted on the administration of criminal justice in Nigeria during and after the pandemic? Qualitative descriptive-narrative approach was adopted to synthesise the various data and sources (review of literature, reports from the media, reflective data and eye witness accounts) to account for what happened both during COVID-19 and post COVID-19 in the practice of criminal justice in Nigeria. Two dominant traditional ideologies/models (Crime Control and Due Process), and the less favoured one (punitive and nonpunitive victims' right models), interfaced at one point or the other and thus defined the character of criminal justice system in Nigeria 19 with crime control model however showing greater effects than others. The implication of our analysis is that during crisis, state and official's response to one of her crucial mandate oscillates and takes a paradigm shift form either mild to critical or severe as the case may be. The three models manifested in pre and COVID-19 criminal justice process eras though, crime control model remains a continuum and the dominant ideology which guides the operation of criminal justice system and process. Further implication is the imperative to improve the system by taking steps towards the direction of the non-punitive model of victims' rights which stresses crime prevention and restorative justice as the future value (ideology) for Nigerian criminal justice system.

Breaking the silence: Examining process of cyber sextortion and victims’ coping strategies

Sextortion is the threat to distribute intimate, sexual materials unless a victim complies with particular demands. Cyber sextortion, specifically, takes advantage of the Internet’s anonymous nature and uses explicit personal images to inflict harm on victims. Despite this crime’s serious nature, there is a dearth of empirical knowledge of sextortion, particularly the process of fear management for the victims. This article employed a qualitative content analysis of the victim testimonials posted on the Reddit sextortion forum to explore the coping mechanisms of 175 cyber sextortion victims. Borrowed from the transactional model of stress and coping developed by Lazarus and Folkman, the characteristics of person–environment stimuli, ransom, appraisal and coping, revisit, and reappraisal were identified and revealed an extended model of fear and stress management applied particularly among sextortion victims. In addition, characteristics that are unique to female and male victims are also revealed in this analysis. In sum, the dynamic nature of fear and stress management among victims of sextortion implies specific crime control and prevention policies.

The War on Crime and the War on Rape: The LEAA and Philadelphia WOAR, 1974–1984

This article uses Philadelphia Women Organized Against Rape (WOAR) as a case study to examine the intertwining of the feminist movement against sexual violence and state crime control agencies during the 1970s “war on crime.” Law Enforcement Assistant Administration (LEAA) officials expected the anti-rape organizers they subsidized to promote police reporting to the victims they served. This sharply contracted the terrain of feminist anti-rape activism, particularly for women of color who declined police reporting. Lynn Moncrief, a self-described “Black radical feminist” hired by Philadelphia WOAR using LEAA funds, rejected the mandate to increase police reporting rates. Instead, she devoted her energies to remaking WOAR's praxis with Black women and girls at the center. While LEAA funding tethered the anti-rape movement to the rapidly expanding carceral state of the late twentieth century, the example of Lynn Moncrief and the Third World Caucus of Philadelphia WOAR shows that cooptation was never total.

Crime control or just theater? An experimental test of the effects of a mobile safety app on crime prevention intentions and behaviors

Crime control or just theater? An experimental test of the effects of a mobile safety app on crime prevention intentions and behaviors

The Resort to Emergency Policing to Control Gang Violence in Jamaica: Making the Exception the Rule

AbstractThis article critically examines reasons for the persistent use of states of emergency (SOEs) as a tool of crime control in Jamaica and risks associated with normalising these measures in small, low-capacity, competitive democracies in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). We attend to the question of permanent SOEs as an issue of law and certain policing methods becoming normalised. This differs from scholars who think about the use of permanent SOEs as suspension of law or executive rule and make a clear distinction between law and violence and normalcy and emergency. Our findings show that persistent usage of SOEs in Jamaica reflects the incapacity of the state to control violent crime as well as its effort to strengthen its coercive capabilities and compensate for the ineffectiveness of the police. It is also a response to public demand for SOE policing. State strengthening is a necessary condition for a more peaceful and law-abiding society but is also a carrier of risks of democratic degeneration via rights-disregarding policing. Nonetheless, we have seen authoritarian management of crime without descent into authoritarianism, in general, and strong boundary-marking and patrolling by some state-oversight institutions that enjoy the support of civil society.

Traditional Crime Control Measures and Criminality in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria

The study examined traditional crime control measures and criminality in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. It identified various traditional crime control measures practiced by Akwa Ibom people. The research made use of primary data which were collected through in-depth interview with the use of interview schedule. Four hundred (400) study respondents were engaged as calculated sample size, Four hundred respondents were randomly selected from twelve (12) purposively selected villages across twelve (12) Local Government Areas of Akwa Ibom State. The state was divided into three clusters namely: Annang, Ibibio and Oron ethnic groups. Routine Activity (RA) theory of crime by Cohen and Felson (1979) was used in the study. Data collected were analyzed thematically in line with the objectives of the study. Findings revealed that there were traditional crime control measures among Akwa Ibom people which include; Idiong, Mbiam, Ukang. Ekpo, Akata, Ekpe, Iban Ison, Nka Nkparawa, Asian Uboikpa, Ayai, Adagha, Ibed Ukot, and Ibed Eyeyen. It was discovered that the rise in crime in the state is due to the abandonment of some traditional crime control measures. It was discovered also that, there exist poor relationship between the police and traditional institutions and this has caused increase in crime in the state. It was recommended that there should be partnership and synergy among traditional and modern crime control agencies in the study area to increase crime control effectiveness Also, government should develop policies that creates avenue for partnership between the police and other traditional institutions toward effective crime control.

Controlling Corruption Crimes In Indonesian Public Officials Using Multiple Factor Approaches

The research aims to examine the control of corruption crimes in Indonesian public officials using multiple factor approaches. This research is qualitative research with primary data sources directly from the Corruption Eradication Commission with a period of 2028-2022 . The results of this research explain that corruption committed by public officials is a crime that involves exploiting power and authority to obtain personal economic gain. Corruption behavior becomes interesting to discuss by studying patterns so that we can predict future corruption behavior and find out how to prevent corruption crimes. This paper finds that corruption committed by public officials is a type of individual bureaucratic crime and governmental occupational crime. The individual type of bureaucratic crime is the type that most often occurs in corruption of public officials. There are 6 fields where corruption is carried out, where the field of development project licensing is the field where corruption occurs the most. The mode most often used in corruption of public officials is the abuse of authority followed by bribery behavior. Early theories of criminal behavior have been criticized because they emphasized one factor as the cause of crime. Factors such as inherited physical traits, biological inferiority, weak minds, emotional disorders, or poverty are described as the sole causes of crime. The multifactor approach in criminology grew out of differences in the single factor approach. Its adherents argue that crime must be understood in terms of the multiple contributions made by various factors. The assumption is that crime is the product of many biological, psychological, economic and social factors and that different crimes will be the result of different combinations of factors. Therefore, the 'correct' approach in criminology is an eclectic approach that emphasizes the identification and analysis of a variety of factors

Collective urban green revitalisation: Crime control an sustainable behaviours in lower-income neighbourhoods

The growing need to increase green spaces in highly urbanised cities has become more prominent recently. Special attention is paid to involving communities in the design process to enhance societal changes for a meaningful appreciation of the natural environment. Urban green collective initiatives in lower-income neighbourhoods have the potential to promote meaningful relatedness to the natural environment, agency, and stewardship. These initiatives contribute to new spatial collective norms that help decrease crime and violence. This study analyses a unique communal green space in Medellin, built and maintained by residents of the Villatina neighbourhood after a catastrophic landslide. After the disaster, residents exhibited self-organisation and collective efficacy to protect the space from being used by criminal actors. In 2010, the garden underwent renovations to be part of the ecosystem services network of the Circumvent Garden project. Although participatory strategies were implemented, the new social dynamics hindered collective actions in the space. This study contends that urban green collective initiatives in lower-income neighbourhoods introduce a unique form of communal action in urban green spaces, resulting in long-term societal changes. By integrating the collective placemaking strategies and key spatial elements in participatory design protocols, balanced social-environmental dynamics may be introduced to foster sustainable consciousness and minimise criminal behaviour.

Crime Hallmark Nexus Between Tourism Support and Destination: Empirical Standpoint of Social Control Theory

The focus of the study is on types of crime and their relationship with tourism destinations and tourism support among northern tourist areas. The main objective of the study was to shed light on the types of crime and their association with tourism destinations and tourism support with the framework of the social control theoretical model (inner and outer control). Face-to-face quantitative data was collected from (n=501) respondents. The study analyzed data with partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM version 4). The path analysis showed that crimes against persons, property, and victimless crime significantly decreased tourism support. A similar phenomenon, such as crimes against person and property, decreased tourism destinations, and victimless crime was insignificant. Based on the study’s findings, the results concluded that types of crime have made unsuccessful tourism support and tourism destination in the northern region. The study put forward recommendations to policymakers that criminal activities should be controlled through crime control systems among different tourist destinations in northern areas.

An Examination of Proactive Intelligence-Led Policing through the Lens of Covert Surveillance in Serious Crime Investigation in Ireland

This article examines the powers and functions conferred by the Criminal Justice (Surveillance) 2009 Act to bolster the resources of the Garda Síochána (Ireland’s National Police and Security Service) to detect, investigate and apprehend suspects. The analysis will encompass the management and use of covert surveillance operations, procedural requirements for external ‘authorisation’ to carry out surveillance with judicial oversight, internal ‘approval’ to carry out surveillance without judicial oversight, and the use of tracking devices as less intrusive measures. The assessment will consider whether there are sufficient procedural safeguards provided in the 2009 Act to protect fundamental rights of suspects, and whether covert surveillance practices as a tool of effecting crime control policies is proportionate and necessary commensurate with fundamental rights of suspects in the criminal justice process. While the focus of analysis is on police covert surveillance operations in Ireland, reference to international best practice and human rights standards emanating from the Irish superior courts and ECtHR jurisprudence will broaden the scope of analysis that is intended to be of interest to a wider readership. Keywords: Criminal Justice (Surveillance) Act 2009 (Ireland); Covert surveillance; Authorisation for surveillance; Approval for surveillance; Garda Síochána (Ireland’s National Police and Security Service); Serious crime investigation

Intelligence Gathering and Sustainable Crime Management in Nigeria

Nigeria has witnessed different categories of crime and unimagined attacks such as terrorism attacks, insurgency, proliferation of arms and ammunition, transnational organized crimes, drug trafficking, bandit’s attacks, kidnapping, abduction, violence attacks on individuals and robberies, cybercrimes, trading on illicit drugs and dealing on contraband goods. Crime in the society today has become a recurring daily discussion that is bordering all manner of individuals and group living in the society. There is therefore every need to take proactive measures at ending this menace that has become an enemy not only to the growth and development of the society but the entire existence of humanity. The study focuses on the application of intelligence gathering in crime in management Nigeria. This study delves into the relevance of the intelligence gatheringapproach in crime management within the Nigerian context, while exploring the nature of intelligence gathering and its application in Nigeria. This research investigates the practical implementation of intelligence gathering and its impact on crime management and control in Nigeria. The study uses qualitative data that allows for the identification of emergent themes and patterns of criminality in Nigeria. Findings indicate that the intelligence gathering approach holds relevance in adapting to dynamic criminal trends in Nigeria. This study contributes to the discourse on modernizing law enforcement strategies in Nigeria by examining the practical relevance of the intelligence gathering in crime control. The study’s outcomes aim to inform policies and practices that enhance the effectiveness of intelligence-driven approach in addressing crime challenges, offering insights for strategic decision-making in the realm of law enforcement.