Posted on: October 26th, 2012 by Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council
How to understand the complex nature and impact of psychological trauma in our community? Important steps are being taken in this direction by KidsLink, a Waterloo Region based organization supporting the emotional and mental health of children and youth in our community.
We recently hosted Laurie Robinson in a webinar to explore the prevalence and science of trauma and how our community can move toward a trauma-informed system of care. Participants in the webinar came from many different sectors representing children & youth mental health, addictions, health care and more.
But why would the Crime Prevention Council be interested in issues of trauma? Trauma (adverse childhood experiences, or adult in some cases) is often the root of many psychological, physical, behavioural and health conditions – and WRCPC is all about getting to the root causes or conditions. For example, did you know….
75% – 93% of youth entering the criminal justice system have experienced some form of trauma
Among boys who experienced a traumatic incident under the age of 12, 50% – 79% became involved in serious juvenile delinquency
Incarcerated women are more likely to report a history of childhood physical or sexual abuse (Justice Policy Institute, 2010).
Prevention tell us: “it’s easier to build strong children than to mend broken adults.”
I share Laurie Robinson’s presentation here to give you a starting point for finding out what trauma is and the impact it has on our community.
How do you see trauma affecting people you work with, serve, represent? What do you see as the impact within our community? How might a trauma informed system of care improve the lives of the people that you works with. How might it improve the health of us all? How could this approach have an effect on prevention, early intervention, effective treatment and intervention, the corrections & court system, rehabilitation…..? Let you mind consider the possibilities!
Post your questions or comments here and Laurie will do her best to answer them all.
Posted on: October 22nd, 2012 by Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council
When the Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council talks about everyone having a role to place in crime prevention, we really do mean EVERYONE, including doctors and all health care providers! Drawing on the recommendations from The Missing Pieces report, an assessment of services and gaps for victims and offenders of interpersonal violence (2010, WRCPC), many sectors in our community have been taking action on the 44 recommendations that were developed. Several of the recommendations addressed the need for screening for abuse in health care settings:
Begin screening for domestic violence at the triage stage at Grand River Hospital
Encourage physicians region wide to screen for domestic violence, elder abuse and child abuse and neglect
Offer more training for teachers about how to recognize and respond to abuse and neglect
Screen for elder abuse at hospital admission or emergency department visits
To help educate primary care professionals in health care settings about their role in preventing violence, several community partners collaborated to present this webinar on “Screening for Intimate Partner Violence in Health Care Settings”.
This training was led by Dr. Robin Mason, a scientist and academic research expert at Women’s College Hospital in Toronto and Dr. Patricia Mousmanis a community based clinician and trainer with the Ontario College of Family Physicians. In just one hour, they covered:
the prevalence of abuse and the potential health effects on the victim and children exposed to violence
a discussion on the prenatal period when women may be more vulnerable to abuse and the potential for serious harm to the mother and her developing fetus are very great.
the role of health care providers in screening for abuse
ALPHA Forms for health care professionals providing primary care
the importance of being aware of and facilitating good relationships with community organizations providing support to people experiencing intimate partner violence
availability of online education for health care providers on domestic violence. This interactive, case-based education may be accessed free of charge and completed at your pace. CME credits are available. For more information go to www.DVeducation.ca.
Health care providers are key partners in the community in assisting people experiencing domestic violence and their children. Together we can make a difference.
What do you want to know about the role of health care providers in screening for personal violence and abuse? Our presenters are happy to answer some more of your questions.
It used to be that summer was a time to gear down a little and take life at a slightly slower pace. Well, if you take a look at our upcoming events schedule for fall 2012, you will see that the Crime Prevention Council and many of its community partners did not gear down very much this summer! We were busy planning, organizing and coordinating a full series of events! Here’s a quick round up of what’s on offer.
Say Hi Day – Wednesday September 26, 2012 Schools across Waterloo Region participate in Say Hi Day. Building a strong, caring community is one of our most effective crime prevention tools. The “Say Hi” campaign aims to bring people together and nurture a sense of belonging and responsibility in our community. Participating schools can register for a chance to win one of two Connected School Awards.
You don’t have to be a student to participate in Say Hi Day….you can ‘Say Hi’ anytime!!
Eyes Wide Open: Overdose Awareness Day – Wednesday October 10, 2012
A full day dedicated to understanding the scale and scope of overdose and overdose related issues in Waterloo Region. The morning session is filled with speakers: an overview of overdose related issues of the past year; an attempt to understand the tracking and data collected around accidental overdoses in Waterloo Region; a major new report on the barrier to calling 9-1-1 in an overdose incident, and the story of a mother, advocate, author whose life has been affected by accidental overdose.
The afternoon session will be an Overdose Prevention Training facilitated by Preventing Overdose Waterloo Wellington (POWW).
These events are free but registration is required. Register here.
Changing Futures Prevention Summit – Thursday October 18, 2012
A one day conference uniting community members with national and international experts to discuss evidence-based approaches and practices to substance use prevention and mental health promotion with children and youth. Speakers include Dr. Kenneth Minkoff, Gabor Maté and Dr. Wayne Hammond. Registration is required. This conference is geared to Funders, policy makers, parents, healthcare professionals, early childhood and early years staff, educators, mental health and addiction service providers, police partners, child welfare workers, mentors, and community members who have an impact on child and youth development.
Trauma Informed Practice & Theory Training: Online Webinar – Thursday October 25, 2012
Trauma can lead people to experience depression, anxiety, withdrawal, difficulty eating and sleeping, emotional distress and behavioural changes. Ultimately this can damage an individual’s ability to function in society. In this training, co-sponsored by KidsLink and the Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council, Laurie Robinson will begin by reviewing the science to provide an understanding of what happens when someone experiences trauma and provide practical ideas and tools for direct service workers aiding individuals experiencing trauma.
Forum: Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder – Monday November 12, 2012
Join guest speaker Dan Dubovsky, FASD Specialist with the SAMHSA FASD Centre of Excellence to learn more about FASD as a disability and the challenges faced by people with this condition. People with FASD tend to have significant challenges with the criminal justice system – learn more about FASD initiatives within Waterloo Region.
In The Mind’s Eye: Issues of Substance Use in Film + Forum– Various Events throughout October & November, 2012
Unique in North America, In The Mind’s Eye is an insightful and eclectic look at issues of substance use. Free events combining films and workshops make this look at substance use real and relevant.
Film Nights: Every Wednesday throughout November at 7:00pm, Queen Street Commons, 43 Queen Street South. All events are free.
The full schedule of films and events will be posted shortly.
Screening for Intimate Partner Violence in Health Care Settings: Online Webinar – Wednesday November 21
Geared to health care professionals in all areas who are responsible for regular patient care, this webinar will provide training in how to identify and support victims of intimate partner violence. Intimate Partner Violence is a serious public health problem and can be prevented. In this training, Dr. Robin Mason will provide background information on women abuse and tools that can be used to screen for intimate partner violence. Dr. Patricia Mousmanis will explain the physician’s role in aiding patients facing intimate partner violence.
Posted on: May 31st, 2012 by Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council
This week, I joined KidsLINK and community leaders from across Waterloo Region and the child and youth services sector in Ontario to talk about trauma – really, a conversation of hope and change, challenge and change…. and of course, prevention.
This was my first experience hearing from Dr. Ann Jennings – an advocate for changing our social and human service systems to be equipped to deal with early childhood trauma. Dr. Jennings used the 15 year Adverse Childhood Experiences study to outline the impacts of childhood trauma and the long term consequences of unaddressed trauma. The parallels to “root causes” of crime and “risk factors” for crime that informs the work of the Waterlo Region Crime Prevention Council were not lost on me! I felt like Dr. Jennings was speaking our language!!
What spoke volumes was Dr. Jennings’ story of her daughter Anna.
“Anna Jennings was sexually abused when she was less than three years old. This was the first of several abuses that occurred over her lifetime, and put a confused, frightened child into a mental health system that neither recognized nor treated Anna’s real problem. Diagnosed “schizophrenic”.. she was institutionalized for more than 12 years from age 15 to 32. Although she attempted to communicate the “awful things” that had happened to her, there was no one to listen, understand or help her. She took her life on October 24, 1992, on a back ward of a state mental hospital.”
(http://www.theannainstitute.org/a-bio.html)
Dr. Jennings went on to outline the “wall of missed opportunities” that took place over the course of Anna’s life. The sheer number of dates, warning signs and professional involvements could have literally filled a wall. Had these opportunities not been missed, her daughter might have been helped and might still be alive today.
Why is it that we can pinpoint – after the fact – all the places in a person’s life where change could have made a difference, yet our services, systems, families, schools and communities can’t seem break through at those critical moments?
This got me wondering – what if our entire social support systems was equipped to recognize and deal with trauma in our children and youth. Dr. Jennings, quoting a colleague, suggested that if we could effectively do that, we could reduce the size of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V) to that of a pamphlet. I suspect there might also be fewer people in the criminal justice system and in prison.
Research tells us that a high percentage of people in prisons, those with addictions and many who have mental health issues have stories of trauma such as abuse, witness to abuse, neglect, and early trauma in a household environment. Now, I’ve never been to prison, but I’ve visited enough of them to know that it is not a place where one could not effectively deal with the impact of trauma in a helpful way. Trauma-informed practices are showing evidence that another way is not only possible, but also practical and cost effective.
Through the ACE Study, it is estimated that the long term consequences of unaddressed trauma (disease, disability, suicide, chronic health problems and social problems) currently stands at $103,754,017,492.00. Yes, you read that correctly. That’s over 103 BILLION (US) dollars.
Now there’s a ” wall of missed opportunity”. Taking a prevention-based approach could save billions of dollars and help people in a healthier way.
Smart on crime, indeed.
For background documents shared during this presentation, including Dr. Jennings’ PowerPoint slides, vist the KidsLINK website to access them. Please consider sharing this information with colleagues.
Posted on: May 7th, 2012 by Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council
The first weekend in May has quickly become known as Jane’s Walk weekend. That’s when thousands of people from neighbourhoods around the world join up with friends to take in free guided walks offered in their town or city. People get a chance to learn something new, discover a new part of their city, meet new (or existing!) neighbours and get in touch with the environment. Jane’s Walk helps neighbours and residents feel more connected to their community. WRCPC believes that a more connected community is a safer community. That’s why we got out and walked and encouraged the whole city to walk with us!
Jane’s Walk is in honour of Jane Jacobs, an urbanist and activist whose ideas came to prominence in New York in the early 1960’s. Her observations and writing were in response to city building that focused on car-centric development that effectively cut people off from each other, their neighbourhoods and their sense of place. Jane Jacobs believed that vibrant, dynamic, healthy and safe places need a sense of connection and that local residents must be involved in their own neighbourhood and city development. Jane Jacobs’ ideas of the city as an ecosystem have influenced generation of planner, architects, politicians, activists and citizens, just like you and me.
Jane Jacobs believed in connection to place – connection and knowing a place intimately cannot be done by looking at models and inventing dream cities, rather, Jane would say, “You’ve got to get out and walk!” She would say you’ve got to get to know you place – get to know it’s history, what and who has shaped it, how it is changing, what works well, what doesn’t work… who lives there and what might be its potential for the future. And that’s exactly what we did on our Jane’s Walk on May 5th. We brought together neighbours and residents to explore, discuss, ponder about possibilities and test out new perspectives.
The theme of our Jane’s Walk this year, lead by the Safe and Healthy Advisory Community Advisory Committee of Kitchener and the Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council, focused on what makes a neighbourhood or street feel vibrant, dynamic, safe and healthy. We used the ‘Power of 10‘ – a concept developed by the Project for Public Spaces (PPS) to shape our walk. The Power of 10 is the ideas that every city or town has 10 identifiable destinations/districts. Each district has 10 places within it and each place has 10 things to do around it. When a place does this successfully, ten or more things or activities create an energy that is easily felt and identifiable.
Ten things might include places to sit, food, snacks and beverages, history to experience, music to hear, a playground to enjoy, art to touch or experience, people to meet, information to read, a green space or natural feature and walking/cycling trails or access to public transit.
http://www.pps.org/reference/the-power-of-10/
During our walk of Downtown Kitchener, we examined 4 places that are identified & promoted as major places within the downtown district. We visited The Tannery (in the newly named Innovation District), Victoria Park, Market Lane & the Kitchener Market area, and the Centre in the Square. Each location prompted a lively interaction about its merits and what might improve the dynamics and vibrancy of some places that seemed to be lacking.
You might be wondering what this has to do with “smart on crime” or “crime prevention” or “safety”. Both PPS and Jane Jacobs would agree that the way a physical space is designed, promoted, maintained and managed has an impact – positive or negative – on the type of activity that happens in a place. Places that have a multi-purpose usage at varying times of the day and night and includes and engages a diversity of people, tend to be more vibrant, dynamic, safe and healthy place. Essentially, if we can reduce the likelihood of crime occurring and reduce the fear of crime through physical design and increased dynamic activity, that’s a pretty smart approach to crime prevention.
The four places we visited got mixed reviews on their success as a ‘great place’ with 10 or more things to do around them. Although, Victoria Park was clearly a ‘great place’ where people could easily identify 10 activities in close proximity. I invite you to go visit the four places and decide for yourself! Let us know what you think.
A crowd gatherings at The Tannery in the spring evening sun.
Juanita Metzger sets the stage for the “Community to the Power of 10” Jane’s Walk.
K. Jennifer Bedford talks about Victoria Park from the perspective of someone who lives in the neighbourhood.
What you can’t see in this photo is the scene that played out, over Jennifer’s shoulder, behind the pillar. A group of 10 – 12 youth where in the middle of an escalating argument. It seemed certain that someone was about to be hurt. Somehow, the presence of 70 people, suddenly looking on seemed to diffuse the situation. Jennifer responded to the situation beautifully – who wouldn’t take notice when a megaphone projected voice suddenly competes (and wins) over the shouting argument!
Never a dull moment on our walks!
Bill Rieck also talks about Victoria Park from the perspective of someone who lives in the neighbourhood.
Mark Garner, Executive Director, Kitchener Downtown Business Improvement Association gives a history and tour of Market Lane & the Market area of Downtown Kitchener.
Friends take a break on the wall entrance to Victoria Park.
A crowd of 70 people stretches out over a whole block!! But it was always easy to follow the signs.
The crowd gets to compare the four places we visited on our Jane’s Walk.
We finished up our Jane’s Walk at the Centre in the Square.
This Jane’s Walk had some real magical moments. Many people felt they had looked at very familiar places with a new perspective. With such a simple tool like “The Power of 10”, many people felt they could easily use the concept to examine and talk about their own street or neighbourhood in a new way.
But the most magical moment came at the end of the walk. As people drifted away in to the night, under the rising super moon, Elif Günçe, a recent immigrant to Canada and Kitchener and a woman I’ve met online and at various community meetings came to tell me how much she enjoyed the walk. Elif and her fiancée, who was visiting from Turkey, decided to come on the walk in order to explore their potential new home community. In fact, Elif and her fiancée were so impressed by the energy, enthusiasm and engagement of the walk participants that they decided, then and there, they would make Kitchener their new home when her fiancée returned to Canada permanently. That’s the power of community in action! Powerful enough that two people would be so inspired by citizen and resident passion for building a vibrant, dynamic, safe and healthy community that they would make it their new home.
Beautiful.
When you get the chance to take a Jane’s Walk next year, take it. You just never know what might happen.
Posted on: April 30th, 2012 by Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council
And while we’re at it, let’s also talk about prevention, addictions and compassion.
I suppose you’re wondering, where am I going with all of this? Well, the Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council recently held the 34th Annual Justice Dinner, an awareness-raising event about local justice issues. Our guest was The Honourable Justice Kofi Barnes, who started the very first Drug Treatment Court in 1998 in Toronto.
I was expecting a chronology and history about the initiation and implementation of the first Drug Treatment Court. However, I found myself leaning in a bit closer when Justice Barnes told his own personal story – how he was handed the task of finding alternative ways of dealing with the revolving door of people in courts and corrections who clearly had underlying addictions or mental health issues. Admittedly, fueled, in part, by a desire to preserve his career, and in part inspired by his own father, Justice Barnes spent 4 years developing an alternative ‘problem solving court’ which, 14 years later, has grown to more than 10 drug treatment and mental health courts in Canada.
What struck me most was Justice Barnes’ insistence that we need to move beyond our narrow view of ‘justice’ as ‘the letter of the law’ in every case. Rather, ‘justice’ must find a balance for the person who has committed a crime, the victim and our community as a whole. Rightly, he claims that it serves none of these if we never deal with the root cause of a problem. Regular Smart on Crime guest blogger Frank Johnson, put it this way:
“Drug treatment and mental health treatment courts are two approaches where the particular needs of individuals that may have contributed to criminal behaviour are addressed in a supportive yet accountable environment. In these courts the emphasis is on preserving the dignity of those involved with crime by holding them accountable while providing them with the tools to make changes in their lives, where change is possible. This is a recognition that a ‘cookie-cutter’ approach to justice has not and will not reduce crime or the recidivism rate. It makes social and economic sense, as the more alternatives to prison we create, the more benefit we see to taxpayers by reducing the costs of crime.”
Justice Barnes admits that he had a hard time convincing his colleagues in the courts, corrections and law enforcement communities that this approach could work. But gradually, as people from these systems had opportunities to participate in the alternative processes and saw the humanity present there, they became easy converts.
Justice Barnes’ story of personal connection and the potential for system change has stuck with me now for days. In fact, it reminded me of this Ted Talk by Bryan Stevenson “We need to talk about an injustice“. While Stevenson is a lawyer in the southern United States and daily confronts the issue of race in the U.S Criminal Justice system, the parallels between his talk and that of Justice Barnes is not lost on me.
They both believe in the need for justice that is based on hope and tied to dignity and compassion. They both believe that each of us is more than the worst thing we’ve ever done. They both believe that each of us has a basic fundamental human dignity that must be respected by law. They both believe that our whole community is made stronger when we use smart on crime approaches that address the greatest injustices.
While it’s the more challenging place to be and to work, it will ultimately make us more human. And isn’t that what we should all be working for?
I’m interested in hearing your thoughts about the Honourable Justice Barnes’ talk at the Justice Dinner. What has stuck with you? What inspired you or challenged you? Let us know.
In the meantime, watch the talk from Bryan Stevenson.
What would our communities look like if we consistently prioritized spending on education over spending on prisons? There are lessons to be learned from our neighbours to the south where several US states are looking long and hard at reversing the trend of prison budgets trumping education.
Posted on: February 14th, 2012 by Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council
The Interrupters, has been getting a LOT of press lately. That’s not why I’m writing about it here as the ‘Smart Link of the Day’. I’m writing about this film because it showcases the absolutely innovative approach of Chicago’s Ceasefire program to curb gun related shootings and killings in that city. Since being released in August 2011, The Interrupters has been screened in almost 200 locations across the United States, Canada, the UK and Australia.
This film follows three Ceasefire “violence interrupters“, Ameena Matthews, Cobe Williams and Edi Bocanegra, as they go about their daily work of literally, and physically breaking the cycle of violence in their neighbourhoods. These are some of the bravest community workers I have ever seen. You can catch the film preview below or watch the full feature film that aired on CBC’s The Passionate Eye.
When traditional approaches no longer seemed to work, Ceasefire founder, Gary Slutkin, took a public health perspective when designing the program. As an epidemiologist, he came to believe that violence mimics the spread of infectious diseases and so, could be ‘treated’ in a similar way; “go after the most infected, and stop the infection at its source“. And it appears to be working. Early research from the Department of Justice on the effectiveness of Chicago’s Ceasefire program found the program to be effective with significant and moderate to large impacts.
What does that really mean with respect to decreased shootings and killings? Let the data speak for itself.
41-73% drops in shootings and killings in CeaseFire zones.
16- 35% drop in shootings directly attributable to CeaseFire.
100% reductions in retaliation murders in 5 of 8 neighbourhoods.
I don’t know about you, but I would say this seriously fits the bill as a ‘smart on crime’ approach. It is rooted in evidence based practice. It is built on partnership, collaboration and cooperation. Its social change orientation makes an investment in actions that create sustainable change to root causes. It adapts and responds to the needs and trends of the social community. It is widely and broadly supported by all corners of the community, from the grassroots to the highest levels of decision making.
Smart on crime, indeed. Now go watch the film, then share it with a friend or a group of youth.
Posted on: December 21st, 2011 by Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council
Last year, I wrote about Judge Jimmie Edwards and the creative, down-to-earth work he does to reach out and catch the most vulnerable youth falling through the system in St. Louis, Missouri. He started his own school, run by his youth court, and gives youth another chance to get life back on track, and earn a high school diploma.
Judge Edwards subscribes to the ‘smart on crime’ philosophy of crime prevention that we love and know so well here at the Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council: intervene early, work at the root causes, and work to increase the protective factors. In this case, Judge Edwards is able to intervene early when a youth first sets foot in his court. He is able to identify underlying issues that have brought this youth to where they are now (family dysfunction, drug and/or alcohol use, lack of supervision, low school achievement or dropout… the list goes on). It would be easy for Judge Edwards to hand out a sentence of jail time or community service – but he sees a full 27% – 30% return rate of youth back to his court. It got him to thinking about how they could do things differently in St. Louis that would reduce & prevent crime among youth, and at the same time, improve longer term opportunities for success.
Education became Judge Edwards’ focus. The Innovation Concept Academy is the only school of its kind in the United States. After opening its doors in 2009, it has recently seen it’s first graduation ceremony for eleven students. Two of those students have gone on to college. That’s eleven students who might not have made it otherwise.
By Judge Edwards own measure, he would call the school successful.
“If we save one, I’m hopeful. If we save two, it’s a blessing”.
Friends take a break on the wall entrance to Victoria Park.
