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Why education, not punishment, is the solution to reducing crime

John Lonergan

  • 6 abril 2018
  • Ingresado por: Nicolas Devia
  • Visto: 2170
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Why education, not punishment, is the solution to reducing crime
When deciding on how to use the public resources in regards to the control of criminality, often politicians engage in reactive policies. Hard-line strategies of policing and incarceration are used as a way to please the electorate and keep popularity high as well. But in reality, keeping the approach to criminality on a reactive stance is only going to increase the costs of the penitentiary system and will tear apart and segregate communities that struggle to make a decent living. In his service at the Irish penitentiary system, John Lonergan discovered the particular characteristics of the imprisoned. Often left behind by the public social services, the delinquents were uneducated and illiterate people who left school at very young age. Without guidance and/or support from somebody else, those young dropouts ended up being caught in the hands of delinquency. Preventive policies, even when they may not be as popular as the reactive ones, have a remarkable impact on vulnerable communities and on crime. Providing education and opportunities for youth at risk proves then again to be the best investment a government can do to improve the conditions of its society.

Cities on Speed

Improving Civic Behavior - Bogota (Andreas Dalsgaard - Danish Film Institute)

  • 23 enero 2018
  • Ingresado por: Nicolas Devia
  • Visto: 1580
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The constant decline of Bogota's rate of homicides and violent deaths during the late 90's and the beginning of the new millennium has its roots in an unconventional practice: mimes, soccer cards, balloons and an unorthodox Mayor wearing a super-hero costume. An innovative experiment on governance shows the effectiveness of approaching the citizens in a pedagogic, familiar and enjoyable way, improving the lives of the citizens regardless of their economic capacities. Rather than approaching the problem of violence with a zero-tolerance style of policies, Bogota invented a new sort of Community policing without the need for the police. By teaching tolerance, respect of law, empathy and patience to the citizens, Bogota created an atmosphere of trust and rejection of incivilities, which led then to a reduction of violence and crime. This case sheds light and guidance to another way of approaching the problem of violence in the Americas that truly deserves to be revisited.

InSight Crime: Human Trafficking Network Dismantled in Panama

Written by Parker Asmann

InSight Crime: Human Trafficking Network Dismantled in Panama

A Panama court has convicted and sentenced three members of a Nicaraguan-led human trafficking network focused on exploiting people for manual labor, a promising sign for a region still struggling to combat the illicit industry.

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