Posted on: March 25th, 2014 by Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council
Trent’s Trajectory is fictional account of a sixteen year old teenager as he becomes an adult. The infographic, created by Wade Thompson, begins by discussing the risk and resiliency factors Trent faces. The story then branches into two paths. In the first path, Trent does not receive community supports and his risk factors drive the story culminating in a three year prison sentence. In the second path, Trent receives supports from the inREACH project. His resilience factors grow and Trent successfully transitions into adulthood.
Typical stories from the justice system and the inREACH program build Trent’s fictional story. Due to space constraints the ‘current path’ contains less minor crimes than would be expected from a repeat young offender and a few more serious ones. While this slightly changes the story, the overall justice system costs are realistic. It is important to note, while the story is specifically about the inREACH program similar outcomes can be reached for at risk youth in many other prevention programs.
Does this raise any questions for you? What do we do with this information now that inREACH has ended?
Posted on: March 19th, 2014 by Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council
When a community project ends, such as inREACH, the street gang prevention project in Waterloo Region, it doesn’t really completely end. Sure, the office may be closed, the sign taken down, the telephones disconnected and the staff moved on to other jobs, but things have changed in the lives of youth, individuals and our community.
Even after a project ends, it is our responsibility to capture what worked well and what didn’t so we can continue to change ourselves, organizations, services, systems and ultimately our community to better engage & support marginalized youth in positive action and change.
It takes time to capture what’s been learned, how it applies, who continues the work and how we know it’s making a difference. That’s why we’re hosting:
To make the most of our time together that morning, we have prepared an advance blog series featuring 8 individuals who worked closely with inREACH; project staff, neighbourhoods, evaluators and community leaders. Their thoughts and reflections are sure to stimulate your ideas, – don’t hold back! – post comments and questions to the authors as the blogs are posted so we begin to think and talk about the issues now and can jump right in on April 11th.
Think of this blog series as the pre-game show, starting now.
At the event, it will be up to the community to determine and decide what actions we, the collective WE, can and must take to continue some of the work of engaging marginalized youth in our community.
Please comment, share, tweet, Facebook and reblog this series to help spread the word and share the learning.
As a Friend of Crime Prevention, I believe that the heart of crime prevention is through social and community development…..
As an educator, I was used to being at the front of a group of students or a group of fellow educators. Now being retired, my role as changed, I am continuing on my learning journey, but now as a student or fellow participant in the learning. My learning now is focused on developing a new understanding of community and what needs to be done to build a community of belonging for all residents of the Region of Waterloo.
As a Friend of Crime Prevention, I attended on the morning of February 8th, “What Community Means, a Waterloo Region Community Gathering” at K-W YWCA Mary’s Place Community Room, in downtown Kitchener. This event was led by the New Story Group, the Kitchener-Waterloo Social Planning Council, the Festival of Neighbourhood’s, the Multicultural Cinema Club and the Abrahamic Peace Builders.
The keynote speaker was Derek Alton, of the 1000 Conversations project. 1000 Conversations is a project of Tamarack, a charity that develops and supports learning communities that help people to collaborate, co-generate knowledge and achieve collective impact on complex community issues. The deep hope of Tamarack is to end poverty in Canada.
The pilot phase of the 1000 Conversation campaign started in Guelph, Kitchener-Waterloo, Halton and Hamilton, and the second phase Tamarack is looking to partner with 10 new local hosts across Canada who are interested in bringing this campaign to their communities.
Some of my key learnings from this Community Gathering dealt with:
How technology is changing how we approach community
The shifting expectations of Community – how the experience of seniors and youth compare
The Dark Sides of Community
The discussion on “The Dark Sides of Community” for me was especially enlightening, as I have been focusing much of my efforts with the inclusion work of the City of Kitchener Safe and Healthy Community Advisory Committee on building bridges to inclusion in our community. The “Dark Sides of Community” refers to the feeling of individuals being left out of their community because “they did not fit the mold” or that they could not be their “true selves”, so because of this, community can be experienced as a very judgemental and exclusive place for some. But, clear boundaries can preserve the integrity of a group, so no community can be all things for all people. The key learning here is that community is complicated and messy, and that it is important to not ignore this but rather to seek to understand it.
My view of community is evolving, in my previous blog post, I talked about the New Story Group and their efforts to write a new story about belonging and community. Community for me is many things. For thirty years as an educator my community was very focused on my work and family. Now that I am retired I have been expanding my horizons. My work community is still part of my world, but not the main part. Community is many things, my family, my poker group, my circle of friends, the people at the various places and organizations that I am now volunteering at. Community can be anywhere, and can involve anyone, the only thing is some connection. Connections, the web that builds is what links community together for me. I am amazed at the connections that I see when I do something in my community. It is by leveraging these connections that we can work together to improve our community and make it a place where everyone feels that they belong.
I do believe that many small actions will add up to a large action on the road to building a community of belonging. It can be as simple as acknowledging the presence of a homeless person in downtown Kitchener, they are part of our community, a friendly smile goes a long way in making a person feel like they belong. In less than two months since my last blog post, I have become a member at large on the Forest Heights Community Association Board of Directors, with the desire to continue writing a new story of belonging in my community.
I challenge you to do something to make our community a community of belonging, smile at a stranger, volunteer somewhere in your community, it will make a difference, it will connect you!
Author: Doug McKlusky was born in Ottawa but is a long time resident of Waterloo Region including his university days. Doug recently retired from 30 years with the Waterloo Region District School Board. Doug was co-chair of the inREACH Street Gang Prevention Project until it closed in December 2013. But in his newly retired days, time has very quickly filled with important work such as Out of the Cold, Nutrition for Learning, Forest Heights Community Association and the Safe & Healthy Community Advisory Committee for the City of Kitchener. And, wisely, Doug connects all his work to being an all-around ambassador for Friends of Crime Prevention – it really is about connection.
Doug McKlusky‘s writing reflects his own opinions and do not necessarily reflect the views or official positions of the Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council.
The Friends of Crime Prevention network is a space for active members of the community to come together and discuss their ideas of crime prevention. The network aims to bridge individuals and organizations in the common goal of increasing social justice and action for a safe community in which we all live.
This may look great on paper but we really have to ask ourselves: Do these network meetings actually make a difference? Do people really contact one-to-one outside of the meeting rooms? Can talking actually make a difference? Is it more than just the free food, drinks, and give-aways!?
I have personally had the pleasure of becoming part of this network of proactive individuals and it has opened up a new world of action and community engagement! These meetings helped my career, allowed me to form a stronger professional network, and brought a number of important issues to my attention. Here is how I became involved as a Friend of Crime Prevention:
Student attends the Wilfrid Laurier Masters of Social Work program
Student meets professor
Professor recommends Friends of Crime Prevention meeting
Student attends meeting and mentions interest in preventing sexual violence
Student and facilitator host MAASV seminar at Laurier Faculty of Social Work
Student begins to attend MAASV meetings
Student receives placement with the Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council
Student writes quiz for intimate partner violence (IPV), among many other worthwhile projects
Student invited to IPV meeting at Conestoga College
Student forms network with college and MAASV
Student’s resume is very happy
Student writes about his path to becoming a Friend.
Reader reads in astonishment and attends next Friends of Crime Prevention meeting!
Are you a Friend of Crime Prevention? Do you have a story to tell about how you got involved in crime prevention through social development? Add your story in the comments below.
Author: Ryan Maharaj, MSW Student with WRCPC. Ryan recently moved to Waterloo in pursuit of his Masters in Social Work at Laurier University. Placed at the Crime Prevention Council, he has been given the opportunity to explore the role of male allies in the movement against sexual and intimate partner violence. He firmly believes that with respect, support, compassion, and education we can prevent the occurrences of sexual violence in the next generation.
When United States Attorney General Eric Holder made gave his “Smart on Crime” remarks to the American Bar Association’s Annual Convention in San Francisco on August 12, 2013, it “launched a comprehensive review of the criminal justice system in order to identify reforms that would ensure federal laws are enforced more fairly and—in an era of reduced budgets—more efficiently”.
If you’ve been following the ‘smart on crime’ news from the United States since then, it appears they are leaving few stones unturned. In the case of mandatory minimum sentencing for drug offenses, there seems to be a lot of evidenced-based research to support their justice reform directions.
As an example, take a look at these Federal Bureau of Prisons infographic charts in a recent Huffington Post article on the impact of prison overcrowding:
U.S. Prison Population As Of Jan. 25, 2014
Data is limited due to the availability of offense-specific information.
Who knew I’d be joining the Friends of Crime Prevention in my retirement years? Well, it has to be destiny, no one could have told me this would be in my plans, but what a blessing.
Let me back it up a bit for you, to Nov. 3, 2011 when my son Daniel, then 28, went missing. Once we learned where his vehicle was found (Temagami backcountry, Red Squirrel Road), we at least know where he potentially was and that there was no evidence of foul play or crime. But, the need to file a local missing persons report and then have another police force take over the search (OPP, Temiskaming), we were confronted with a lot of new learning about police procedures and, most importantly, about the gap in support services for families with missing loved ones, particularly when there is no evidence of crime.
Daniel is still missing today.
Fast forward to December 2013 when I joined Friends of Crime Prevention. In an effort to find meaning in the uncertainty of my son missing for over 2 years, I reached out to agencies in our community to try and get a network started to help support families like mine. Having known Christine Sadeler at the Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council when I worked at the Region of Waterloo and knew about their close workings with the community, I reached out to her to share my need. I wanted to spread the message about missing persons so we could create a network that would to help raise awareness and fill a gap I see in our community.
I attended the Friends of Crime Prevention event on January. 9, 2014 and was pleased with the number of representatives from the community, as board members, professionals and friends. This reinforced that my decision to become a Friend of Crime Prevention was indeed a good one. Not only was it informative, but it gave me a much better sense of the diversity of the group and the many facets of crime prevention from a community perspective. A bonus was getting a tour of the new WRPS North Division Station, where the meeting was held.
My hope is that not only do I have the opportunity to become part of a group with many facets of crime prevention as their objective, but also to get others engaged in making it a better place for those who may be impacted by a missing loved one. I thank Friends of Crime Prevention for giving our community this opportunity to participate and play as active a role as we can give.
In an effort to do my part as a Friend of Crime Prevention and raising awareness about what it’s like for families with missing loved ones, I want to point you toward a very timely media series in the Waterloo Region Record. Anyone who feels they can help play a role in providing support services for the families with missing loved ones, please contact me, Maureen Trask.
Media Series: MISSING in Waterloo Region
In collaboration with Waterloo Regional Police Service and the Waterloo Region Record, families with missing loved ones are currently sharing their stories, challenges and issues. Greg Mercer is the reporter writing this series and is supported by Richard Dorling from WRPS who is working with the missing cases and the families concerned. We are very grateful for their amazing support and assistance.
Check the Saturday paper or online for ‘MISSING’ articles, giving a better awareness and understanding of what it’s like for families with a missing loved one.
As a Friend of Crime Prevention, I believe that that the heart of crime prevention is through social and community development…..
Imagine neighbourhoods where everyone feels a sense of belonging, where inclusion trumps fear.
Imagine workplaces where people belong, and where respect and collaboration trump power and politics.
Imagine schools where belonging trumps bullying and streaming.
Discover, what it means to belong in a diverse community,
Imagine an ideal future where all citizens experience a sense of belonging,
Create momentum that moves us toward this ideal future
Sustain communities of belonging through leadership and innovation
John Lord, the founder of the grass-roots organization, The New Story Group of Waterloo Region, was the keynote speaker on October 15th. The New Story Group is dedicated to building inclusive communities where every community member has an opportunity to experience belonging. Our current story has:
Seniors living alone and very isolated
People with mental health issues being lonely and having few friends
New Canadians needing support to enhance their sense of belonging
In his keynote address John Lord outlined some of the fundamentals that must exist before people can experience a sense of community belonging:
Presence –this is a simple as showing up, but we have to make it easy for people to show up!
Participation – if we make it easy to be present participation becomes easier
Relationships – as humans we have a strong need for affiliation and relatedness
Building a Community of Belonging is strength-based work. We need to build on the assets of individuals, neighbourhoods, and the wider community. There are four key elements of Leadership and Belonging:
Intentionality – communities and individuals must be intentional about belonging.
Belonging Lens – use a belonging lens to guide policy
Connections – identify bridges to enhance belonging
Judgement Free Places – people need to be able to enter community spaces and not feel that they are being judged.
The passion and commitment to write a new story was evident amongst the participants. Inspiring speakers, such as Brandon Spunar, of the Connection Project, and founder of Our Common Ground, spoke of his efforts to connect people in our community, to build bridges to inclusion by connecting people with common interests with each other.
The challenge was given to participants to do something, a small thing that would contribute to making their neighbourhood a more welcoming place, something that would contribute to belonging, to do something to help write the new story. Participants committed to doing this and sharing by March with their groups what they have done. Individually they committed to start writing the new story.
Personally I have committed to three actions that will foster community belonging;
one within my own Forest Heights community,
one within the City of Kitchener, and,
the last one that has an impact across the Region of Waterloo.
As a Friend of Crime Prevention, I believe that the heart of crime prevention is social and community development, so I challenge you to become involved, do something to make our region one of belonging, be part of the writing of the New Story of Belonging.
Author: Doug McKlusky was born in Ottawa but is a long time resident of Waterloo Region including his university days. Doug recently retired from 30 years with the Waterloo Region District School Board. Doug was co-chair of the inREACH Street Gang Prevention Project until it closed in December 2013. But his newly retired days, time has very quickly filled with important work such as Out of the Cold, Nutrition for Learning and the Safe & Healthy Community Advisory Committee for the City of Kitchener. And, wisely, Doug connects all his work to being an all-around ambassador for Friends of Crime Prevention – it really is about connection.
Doug McKlusky‘s writing reflects his own opinions and do not necessarily reflect the views or official positions of the Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council.
Posted on: January 21st, 2014 by Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council
Public opinion polls have been asking Canadians questions about crime policy, perceptions of crime, and attitudes towards the criminal justice system for over forty years. During this time over 700 questions about crime have been asked by Gallup, Pollara, Ipsos Reid, Statistics Canada’s General Social Survey, the Canadian Election Study and Environics Institute. LISPOP associate Dr. Steve Brown and I have assembled these questions in an archive and are using them to track changes in the public’s views about criminal justice matters over the past few decades.
For more on how public opinion towards crime in Canada has changed over time, please visit lispop.ca. Here, I will focus on how shifts in public opinion towards crime can influence policy.
The relationship between public opinion and policy is complex. In 2000, Barbara Norrander published a study examining capital punishment practices in the United States. Her research shows current death penalty policy in a state is shaped by past policy, political culture and current public opinion. Current opinion is also influenced by past policy and socio economic background. But since past policy is shaped by past opinion there is an indirect effect, where past opinion helps to shape current opinion by changing past policy. Confused yet? Despite the complicated explanation and diagram, below, it’s actually fairly straightforward; past opinion and past policy are constantly influencing one another shaping both current policy and current opinion. Okay, maybe it’s not simple, but it certainly is elegant.
Norrander, 2000 The Multi-Layered Impact of Public Opinion on Capital Punishment Implementation in the United States
This model provides a useful explanation for attitudes towards capital punishment in Canada. Support for capital punishment has been steadily falling since the 1980s. Over 80% of respondents supported capital punishment in the early 1980s, since this time support has fallen significantly. Today when respondents are asked if they support capital punishment for certain crimes support is below 55%.
Support for Capital Punishment
This drop in support can be explained, at least partially, by the abolishment of the death penalty in Canada on July 14th, 1976 (the last execution in Canada took place on December 11th, 1962). Any Canadian, who grew up after this time, grew up in a Canada without the death penalty. So a policy decision, which at the time went against public opinion, helped to shape future public opinion by normalizing a Canada without the death penalty.
Public opinion does not always work this way. Often public opinion will react in the opposite direction of policy decisions. James Stimson a researcher in the United States wrote two books, Tides of Consent and Public Opinion in America, which examine the public mood and compares it to policy decisions. What he found is that public opinion often runs in the opposite direction of the party in power. So if Democrats are in power the people start to say we need more conservative policies and if a Republicans are in power the people start to say we need more liberal policies. Stimson explains that this occurs because of policy excess. A newly elected government starts to implement policies that the public wants, but over time as they continue to create more policies the public starts to say, you’ve gone too far, we need to scale back.
This effect can be seen in Canada. Environics Institute [http://www.environicsinstitute.org/] regularly asks how Canadians would like to see crime addressed, through an emphasis on law enforcement or a focus on crime prevention. Since 2005 there has been a noticeable increase in the number of respondents saying they prefer crime prevention approaches and a decrease in respondents who prefer law enforcement approaches.
Crime Prevention vs. Law Enforcement
Since 2006 the Canadian government has focused on being tough on crime. The policy approach continues to this day but it seems the Canadian public is starting to see these changes as a policy excess. Instead of focusing on punishment, public opinion polls suggest the government focus should be on prevention through education and social development programs.
What do you think? How would you like to see crime addressed in Canada? Do you think we need changes to crime legislation? Would you like to see additional investments in social development programs?
Norrander, B. (2000). The multi-layered impact of public opinion on capital punishment implementation in the United States. Political Research Quarterly, 53(4).
To usher in 2014, WRCPC hosted a learning event on ‘Neighbourhood Policing’. Naturally, Friends of Crime Prevention & WRCPC have a common interest with the police on all things related to crime prevention, community safety and well-being. Inspector Kevin Thaler from the Waterloo Regional Police Service was our guest to unveil the recent sweeping changes to their organizational structure, daily operations and dispatch methods. The results are what is now known as Neighbourhood Policing. You can find Inspector Thaler’s speaking notes here.
Inspector Thaler covered:
the shift from traditional reactive policing to proactive, responsive policing that took well over 5 years to implement
how WRPS used police data and research to reorganize and realign their policing operation and strategies to a neighbourhood policing model
how the shift to neighbourhood policing allows police officers to have more time for connecting with people in neighbourhoods and communities
the implementation of the new ‘Online Crime Reporting System’
new opportunities for patrol officers to have a more engaged and lasting relationship with regional elementary and high schools
It wouldn’t be a Friends of Crime Prevention event without a good discussion. There were a number of insightful and important questions for discussion but we’d like to highlight these four as food for thought and your further comment.
Q. How can the WRPS and Crime Prevention Council establish relationships with school representatives, staff, parents, and young children, when officers are frequently changing and there has been no routine presence of individual officers?
With this new model of an estimated 40% downtime officers are given the opportunity to align with schools if they are willing to accept the long-term responsibility and if they have a direct interest in working with the schools. By allowing officers to make the decision only those who have the motivation and interest will take on the role with all of its responsibilities. The increase in downtime will also allow for more opportunities to meet with the school and the individuals within.
Q. This new dispatching method increases police presence in areas that have higher crime occurrence rates (see www.wrps.on.ca under the ‘Maps’ tab). When does police presence become harmful and insight fear?
While WRPS is currently doing research on the costs/benefits of higher police presence, officers are combating this issue by attempting to foster better relationships with the citizens in these particular communities. Rather than simply cruising or patrolling in these communities, officers are stopping to talk about more than just crime reduction. Educating and being educated, informing and being informed are all major aspects of an officer’s role.
Q. What has been the response to the new online reporting program?
Growing numbers of anecdotal evidence supporting online reporting and marketing strategies are being used to bring the online reporting system to the attention of the general populace. The program offers citizens an opportunity to report minor crimes without having to call 911 numbers. This helps officers track and manage minor crimes while reducing the overall number of line calls.
Q. Only 17% all 911 calls are for dangerous and immediately threatening crimes (as defined on the WRPS website under the ‘Staying Safe’ tab). Therefore 83% are for peacekeeping, social disorder related issues which could be dealt with by either the non-emergency line 519- 653-7700 or online reporting. How can we help the general public become more educated in regards to how to contact the police and defuse this 83% to more effective means of reporting?
This question was brought up at the end of the discussion time and prompted a great deal of input for the fact that a large number of police resources go into dealing with things that don’t need police response or intervention.
What do you think? What changes would you suggest to ensure that police are able to focus on what matters most, in an efficient manner? Share your suggestions in the comments below or join the WRCPC meeting on March 21 where we will have a follow up discussion on the future of policing. We would love to hear your thoughts!
Summary by Ryan Maharaj, MSW Student with WRCPC. Ryan recently moved to Waterloo in pursuit of his Masters in Social Work at Laurier University. Placed at the Crime Prevention Council, he has been given the opportunity to explore the role of male allies in the movement against sexual and intimate partner violence. He firmly believes that with respect, support, compassion, and education we can prevent the occurrences of sexual violence in the next generation.
This new publication from Community Development Halton is a comprehensive read for any community development animator who works directly in neighbourhoods. Recognizing that the landscape of community work has changed dramatically in the past two decades, Orr and her associates urge us to adapt our approaches with the changing needs of our communities. And in case you’ve missed it, communities have changed!
This 70 page publication makes the case for ‘place-based neighbourhood work’ and details an engagement framework (pictured below) – An Approach to Building Neighbourhoods. Community work never follows a linear process and “Where We Live Matters” recognizes that neighbourhoods operate in a cyclical, repeated fashion between all stages of the engagement process depending on the issue or situation and the people involved in the work. It’s messy, chaotic and creative work and it’s hard to capture it accurately on paper!
What I like about the model (pictured above) is that they break down the engagement process into more manageable building blocks. I can’t recall ever seeing ‘readiness’ so prominently placed in an engagement process – we all know it’s necessary – so glad to see it named in plain language. I think the distinction between social capital and social capacity is important. Too often, they are used interchangeably, but they truly are distinct concepts in community building.
The remainder of the article outlines:
the key characteristics of communities in which effective community building processes have been carried out,
the personal and professional qualities and skills of the people involved in effective neighbourhood work
best and promising practices in neighbourhood work, focusing on place-based activity
a brief history of place-based neighbourhood work
When you read the brief history of place-based work (Appendix 1), it’s easy to see how far community work has strayed from the direct neighbourhood level. “Where We Live Matters” urges a shift from the universal, service delivery approaches of the past decades, revisiting the classic community development approach of place-based work. There’s no denying it; there are unique and pressing needs in specific geographic areas of every city, town and municipality. Try as we might, universal approaches will never reach the most vulnerable neighbourhoods in our communities. The work needs to be done where it matters most – in neighbourhoods where people live, and with people who live there.
There’s a subtext to this article that is hard to ignore. It speaks to the role of traditional service delivery institutions, large systems and government social policy. Essentially… these entities are too slow and inflexible enough to respond to the needs of neighbourhoods. Often, these systems and institutions are so policy bound that they actually become an obstacle for the communities they are designed to be helping. Which reminds me of so many stories from the very wise Jim Diers who claims that government and large agencies are often the greatest stumbling block for neighbourhoods and communities.
Isn’t that upside down?
As a community practitioner and animator myself, it’s always refreshing to come across good applied research and this one is solidly rooted in practice and the experience of people working effectively with neighourhoods. The authors draw on the work of pioneers of community work such as:
Joh McKnight
John Kretzman
Bill Lee
Margaret Wheatley
Paul Mattessich, Barbara Monsey & Corinna Roy
“Where we live matters” is not new earth-shaking work, but resonates with my own community work as an animator and echoes the growing plethora of place-based initiatives such as:
To better understand the document, check out this Tamarack podcast with Joey Edwardh, Jody Orr and Rishia Burke of Community Development Halton. They lead you through this resource document including an exploration of what inspired the investigation, the important role of an “animator” who enlivens and encourages development in community, funding for work that is hard to measure, and more!
After reading “Where we live matters” I wanted to go pull the McKnight, Kretzman, Lee and Wheatley books from the bookshelf and get reacquainted with the foundations of place-based work. There’s inspiration to be found for our daily work.
But most importantly, “Where we live matters” reminds us that what goes on in our neighbourhoods and the quality of life there has the greatest impact on our quality of daily living. We absolutely should be investing in neighbourhoods.
Author: Doug McKlusky was born in Ottawa but is a long time resident of Waterloo Region including his university days. Doug recently retired from 30 years with the Waterloo Region District School Board. Doug was co-chair of the 
Title: 