Feb 26, 2010
Media contact: Anne Russell
Cell: 604-798-3709
Office: 604-795-2826
anne.russell@ufv.ca
Plecas to lecture on crime-reduction model
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| Dr. Darryl Plecas is a UFV criminologist and a frequent media commentator on criminal justice issues. |
Unless you’re one of those people who profits from an illegal lifestyle, you probably agree that crime reduction is a noble goal. But did you know that it’s also the name given to a formal strategy to achieve that goal in British Columbia?
Numerous communities are trying out the “crime-reduction” model, an approach imported from Britain that sees stakeholder groups working closely together to target habitual and persistent criminals. The idea isn’t to simply get them off the streets and throw them in jail in an “in-and-out” cycle, but to help them gain access to the resources they need to address the underlying cause of their crime, such as addiction, poverty, mental illness, or lack of education .
Dr. Darryl Plecas, of the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of the Fraser Valley, will be speaking about the crime-reduction model on Wednesday, March 10, as part of the UFV lecture series. This free public event will be held at 7 pm in the lecture theatre (B101) by the Abbotsford campus cafeteria.
Plecas admits to being excited about the results that the model is generating in B.C., even in these early stages. While high-profile gang wars grab public attention and cause understandable public concern, the overall crime rate is dropping, more so in communities that are trying out this model.
“I can say without a doubt that the crime-reduction model is the single-best thing that’s ever happened to the criminal justice system in this province,” he says. “Nothing else has had such a great impact on crime. We’re seeing cooperation across parts of the system, and a unified focus on addressing the problem of crime, that we’ve never seen before.”
The crime-reduction model involves multiple stakeholders working together in a thoughtfully woven, comprehensive approach. It encourages inter-agency cooperation, so that the education, health care, policing, probation, youth counselling, corrections, fire, and housing agencies are all working together.
Part of the process involves targeting prolific offenders. Since most crime is committed by a very small percentage of the criminal population, focusing on changing the behavior patterns of that targeted group can result in real reduction in crime rates.
“Within a decade of implementing this model, crime in the UK fell by more than 40 percent,” notes Plecas. “Even with some important differences between the UK and British Columbia, we are confident that if communities around the province put in place the same basic principles and practices adopted in the UK, we could expect to see the same kind of results here.”
Plecas’ lecture will discuss the efforts and the research designed and implemented to make that happen, including work done by the UFV School of Criminology and Criminal Justice in partnership with various agencies.
The lecture series is presented by the UFV Research Office and the UFV Research Advisory Council.
Admission is free and the public is welcome at Dr. Plecas’ March 10 lecture. Pay parking is in effect at UFV.
More about Dr. Darryl Plecas.
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