Getting Tough On Crime: A Strategy That Sounds Good and Fails Hard

"If we want safer communities, we don't need to be 'tougher.' We need to be smarter. The goal is not to punish — but to prevent"- Susan Burton and Stephen Despins.

I’m sure we have all seen the new post and image (attached) from our Prime Minster, Mark Carney about getting tough on crime. This approach includes hiring more police officers, and a change in the criminal code around violent offenders. While I can appreciate the concern (none of us want violence in our communities), we need to remove the emotion, and step away from the tough on crime approach.

It hasn’t worked, it won’t work, and it’s costing Canadians a ton of money. Our hard-earned tax dollars as many like to refer to. So let’s explore what does work.

Where do we start?

We first need to educate ourselves and look at things from an evidence-based perspective, not opinions.

Below are a few important pieces to know about working with Justice involved individuals and offender rehabilitation, also known as “what works”.

1. Until we address the criminogenic needs with this population, even the most violent offenders, they will continue to re-offend.

What are criminogenic needs?

Criminogenic needs are those that cause crime. There are eight central risk factors that contribute to re-offending, such as anti-social attitudes, history of criminal behaviour, pro-criminal associates, substance use, marital/family status, employment/education, leisure/recreation and anti-social cognition.

The only criminogenic need that is static (can’t be changed) is criminal history. Everything is dynamic (can be changed), which is great news for everyone.

These needs are addressed through RNR principles, and often missing from our approach, which leads me to the second point.

2. Embedding Risk Need Responsivitiy (RNR) Principles into case management practice is imperative when working with justice involved individuals. This incudes in custody and in community.

What is the Risk Need Responsivity (RNR) Model?

This model is based on the RNR Principles. A foundational framework within offender rehabilitation, guiding assessment and treatment to reduce recidivism by focusing on three principles.Risk= WHO we are treating (risk level to re-offend)Need= WHAT are we treating (criminogenic needs)Responsivity=HOW are we treating these needs (delivering treatment in a way that matches the learning style of the individual).

The RNR Model focuses on rehabilitation rather than punishment, by ensuring resources are being efficiently used to address the most relevant risk and need factors in a way that the individual can learn from.

Another thing to consider, which is important and why community supervision is a better alternative (because they won’t get this level of support in custody):

· High-risk/very high-risk offenders require approximately 300 hours to target one behaviour/need. Most high- risk individuals have 4-6 criminogenic needs.· Moderate risk offenders require approximately 200 hours to target one behaviour/need.· Low risk offenders require ~50 hours.3. Investing in programs that target these needs and follow evidence-based practices. They are far less expensive, at about $32,000/year per participant, compared to hundreds of thousands for inmates that are just going to become better criminals when they are released.

Does such a thing exist?

Yes. There are many programs out there that save money and improve community safety. Specialized courts are some of those programs, including Drug Treatment Courts, Mental Health Courts, Indigenous Courts, etc. While not all of these courts have embedded the RNR into their practice, research still shows that we can decrease recidivism through these programs (by 13%) without the RNR model. With the RNR model, re-offending is reduced by 28%.

Community supervision, such as probation and parole, cost about $31,000 per person, which is a much better alternative, producing better outcomes and saving money.

4. Investing money into properly training correctional officers on case management and how to embed RNR principles and Core Correctional Practices into their work.

Why jail is not the answer.

I want to preface that I am not saying jail does not serve a purpose, ever. But what we do while people are in custody matters.

It is very expensive to house an inmate.

For inmates serving federal sentences (anything that is two years plus a day)-Male inmate=116,000-$150,000 annually-Female inmate= $120,000-$200,000 annually

Provincially (Alberta) (anything that is two years less a day)-$89,000 annually, sometimes $300/day.Unfortunately, there were no specifics for men and women.

You may be wondering why it costs more money to house women in custody. It’s because there are typically smaller populations of women in custody (although over recent years their numbers are increasing) and they require different needs.

Jail alone, with no other interventions, actually increases recidivism (re-offending), by 7%. You may wonder why this is. There are many reasons, but I’ll highlight a few. Jail is full of primarily high-risk offenders, with pro-criminal attitudes. When do not offer any meaningful supports in custody that works towards rehabilitation efforts, we are basically warehousing the individuals, and jail becomes a crime school. This means individuals learn better tactics, gain more customers, and the list goes on.It’s not just about offering trades and educational programs in custody, (while they are great and skill building) we need to invest in more cognitive behavioural therapy programs for individuals in custody to rewire pathways and train a different way of thinking/processing thoughts. This includes being facilitated by a professional that understands this population, the manipulation and distorted thinking patterns.

Everyone gets released at some point.

So why not invest our money into evidence-based practices that actually work, that in turn, will create safer communities by reducing recidivism and rehabilitating individuals to become healthy, contributing members of our communities.