Posted on: September 15th, 2011 by Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council
Elections are expected in seven Canadian provinces and territories this fall, including Ontario, where our Crime Prevention Council is located. Election periods always gain a great deal of media attention – the campaign stops, the announcements, the debates, the photo-ops….. But how do you know what a candidate really thinks on a particular issue? And how do you get engaged to ask the questions that are relevant to you? How do you know what questions to ask? What do you do when an issue important to you is not reflected in a candidate’s agenda?
Several community based agencies and provincial organizations are already steps ahead on this election thing and encourage people to take action using a variety of guides and kits created for just this purpose. Since everything we write about in this blog is related to crime prevention and smart on crime approaches to reducing crime, we’ve put together a list of election guides from organizations that work on root cause issues of crime.
the John Howard Society of Ontario created their Election Guide 2011 which covers issues related to poverty, mental health, addiction, prisons, alternative measures, crime prevention, parole, the Ontario Sex Offender Registry… and more
If you’re passionate about an issue in your community, contact the associated organization or agency to find out if they have any prepared information that you can use to inform yourself AND inform others.
Elections are just one of our civic opportunities to engage and influence the decision makers of the day. What will you do to make your voice heard?
This is the final blog post in the victims of crime series. This post points you to helpful resources and links for agencies that support victims of crime in Waterloo Region.
There are many agencies within Waterloo Region working to support victims of crime, as well as many provincial and national advocacy agencies working for victim’s rights. Services to support victims of crime can be found by contacting 211 Ontario or Victim Services of Waterloo Region. Many agencies offer counselling and other support.
A few things victims need are protection, information, to be heard and believed and to be treated with dignity. With the support of those close to them, victims are more likely to seek professional support. With professional support, victims are more likely to define their own needs in overcoming the situation or dealing with the trauma.
Author: Tracie McGrath-Levis
Tracie McGrath-Levi is a completing a student placement with WRCPC and has contributed previous posts to Smart on Crime. In addition to completing her Bachelor of Social Work degree at Renison College, University of Waterloo, Tracie works full-time with the John Howard Society in Milton. In her role there Tracie works in court four days a week in an adult diversion program and in bail.
This is the third in a series of blog posts regarding victims of crime in Canada. In the second post I mentioned the importance of root causes of crime and building resiliency. This blog looks at the consequences of being a victim of crime and some of the issues they experience.
Prevention is important, but so is assisting victims to deal with the trauma they have experienced. The more likely a victim is to receive support from people close to them, the more likely they are to seek professional help. Having support from people close to victims, and seeking professional help, allows victims to deal with the consequences of being a victim of crime in a constructive way.
One of the major consequences of being a victim of crime is Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). PTSD symptoms include terrifying memories, avoiding reminders of the trauma, increased anxiety and sleep disturbances. These symptoms usually begin three months after the trauma occurs, but may surface years later.
Author: Tracie McGrath-Levis
Tracie McGrath-Levi is a completing a student placement with WRCPC and has contributed previous posts to Smart on Crime. In addition to completing her Bachelor of Social Work degree at Renison College, University of Waterloo, Tracie works full-time with the John Howard Society in Milton. In her role there Tracie works in court four days a week in an adult diversion program and in bail.
This is the second in a series of four blog posts regarding victims of crime in Canada. In the first blog I mentioned that 2% of the population experienced 60% of all violent crimes. When people experience more than one violent crime this is called multiple victimization. Multiple victimization is why such a small amount of the population experiences such a high volume of the violent crime in Canada.
So what allows the 2% to experience 60% of all violent crime? Can we prevent multiple victimization for these people? Would the prevention of multiple victimization lower the crime rate? Are there characteristics that make that 2% more vulnerable to violent crime?
Research doesn’t exactly answer all of those questions, but it does acknowledge that certain risk factors are associated with becoming a victim of crime. Research also states that these same characteristics do not increase the likelihood for being the victim of multiple crimes.
If there are no characteristics to help protect that 2% of the population from experiencing multiple victimization, we need to focus on preventing crime. To prevent crime, and ultimately people becoming victims, we need to look at the root causes, something the Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council stresses as important. To be smart on crime means understanding why it happens, and preventing it before it does.
Protective factors are also important to prevent people from becoming victims of crime. Some of the protective factors highlighted by the Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council include problem resolution, organized recreation activities, possibilities for participation in the community, self-confidence, self-control, and a strong self-image. These protective factors encourage resiliency and autonomy.
When we encourage resiliency and autonomy, we help protect people from becoming victims of crime. This is something that will take time, so how can we deal more effectively with victims of crime in the mean time. What are the consequences of being a victim of crime?
I will take a look at these questions in the next article on the consequences and aftermath of being a victim of crime.
Author: Tracie McGrath-Levis
Tracie McGrath-Levi is a completing a student placement with WRCPC and has contributed previous posts to Smart on Crime. In addition to completing her Bachelor of Social Work degree at Renison College, University of Waterloo, Tracie works full-time with the John Howard Society in Milton. In her role there Tracie works in court four days a week in an adult diversion program and in bail.
Being a victim of crime affects the victim personally, and the larger community. This is a series of blog posts about victims of crime in Canada. Throughout the series, I draw on several current resources to help us understand victimization, and why preventing victimization is smart on crime.
We need to understand victimization, and the needs of victims of crime, because of the impact being a victim has on their lives, and the huge cost to society. As a caring society we need to support victims. We need to help them overcome the trauma they have experienced.
Here are a few things you might not know about victims of crime in Canada:
Only one quarter of Canadians reported being victims in 2009
93% of Canadians feel safe and think they will not become victims
81% of assault victims know the perpetrator
50% of victims of a violent crime suffer moderate or extreme distress
The cost of pain and suffering experienced by victims of crime in 2008 totaled over $65 billion
In 2004, 2% of the population experienced 60% of all violent crime
Information like this raises questions about how to best support people when they become victims of crime. For example, what is it about that 2% of the population that make them so vulnerable to violent crime? What can we do to help them? Can we prevent further victimization?
I will look at these questions in more depth in three additional blog posts. I will take a look at the importance of addressing root causes of crime, the consequences and aftermath for victims of crime and supports for victims within our Waterloo Region community.
Author: Tracie McGrath-Levis
Tracie McGrath-Levi is a completing a student placement with WRCPC and has contributed previous posts to Smart on Crime. In addition to completing her Bachelor of Social Work degree at Renison College, University of Waterloo, Tracie works full-time with the John Howard Society in Milton. In her role there Tracie works in court four days a week in an adult diversion program and in bail.
Posted on: May 20th, 2011 by Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council
Over the last 5 years, the province of Alberta (Canada) has been making and taking great strides in proactive crime prevention. Not just in theory, but in practice. Just last week, they released their Crime Prevention Framework.
“Research has shown us that reacting to crime with enforcement efforts does not result in reduction [of crime] to the levels Albertans want to see. Crime prevention through policies and programs that address the underlying factors contributing to crime is necessary if we are to make Alberta a safer place.”
“Crime prevention is a responsibility shared by individual citizens, families, neighbourhoods, municipalities, community-based service delivery agencies, the private sector, and all levels of government.”
It sounds like we’re singing from the same songbook… Here in Waterloo Region, we also have a root causes/risk factors approach to crime prevention and the belief that together, we can make our community stronger and safer.
International Women’s Day has come and gone 100 times and still, much remains to be done to address the inequitable status experienced by women and girls in all societies. Why does this matter for crime prevention?
Well, two World Health Organization (WHO) reports outline clearly that inequality can and does lead to violence: sexual violence, physical violence and emotional violence. All forms of violence are disproportionately experienced by women and girls in all countries across the world. The WHO advocates for an approach that addresses ALL aspects of violence where inequality is manifest; at home, in our communities, and finally in society at large.
The WHO reports also show that in all areas, a direct connection can be made between experiences of inequality and experiences of violence. Women and girls remain less valued, less paid, less powerful than their male counterparts. When coupled with issues of problematic substance use, easy access to weapons, differential value based on gender and a family history of abuse and neglect, the consequences are all too visible in the lives of so many.
But not all is lost. And that is what makes the WHO reports so SMART. They show, through research, that as we make changes to the inequitable status of women and girls, violence decreases. School based programmes that challenge the perceptions that girls are inferior have been shown to be particularly effective. I encourage you to read the reports and look for areas where you can strive to implement more equal practices in your places of work, the community, at home and your places of faith.
Author: Christiane Sadeler, ED, Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council
Teens and pre-teens face daily relationship challenges. Words and actions do threaten and hurt. With all the campaigns aimed at preventing and reducing teen bullying, harassment and violence, we’ve come across a few that we like… and also seem to resonate with teens.
That’s Not Cool.com, is a website for pre-teens to learn about appropriate behaviour in dating relationships and what could be warning signs of potential relationship violence. The site offers safe ways for teens to identify and ‘call out’ behaviour that is… ‘not cool’.
ThinkB4youspeak.com challenges youth to think about the words they use in everyday language and that peers can feel victimized by pervasive use of hurtful language. ThinkB4youspeak.com has several ‘hit-it-home’ videos aimed at the use of the phrase “that’s so gay”. The Gay Lesbian Straight Education Network (GLSEN), creators of the website, knows that changing attitudes and language used by teens is no easy task… but it’s an important education effort to prevent LGBTQ youth from being hurt, threatened, stalked or humiliated.
ThinkB4youspeak.com encourages youth to make their ‘that’s so day’ videos. Here’s one of the best.
What smart resources have you come across that help to prevent victimization among teens and youth? Add a comment below to share them with us.
