U.B. seeks to do baseline research on crime
Everyone agrees that crime is one of Belize’s most pressing problems…but that’s where the agreement apparently ends. With proposed solutions ranging from job creation to vigilante justice, there is no shortage of unsolicited advice. Today, the nation’s leading educational institution stepped up to the plate with a plan to at least provide the debate with a solid bedrock of research. Jacqueline Woods explains.
Jacqueline Woods, Reporting
The crime research project may be an ambitious undertaking by the University of Belize, but as explained by U.B.’s Director of Research, Doctor Roy Young, the detailed work is needed to get to the root of the problem and put forward recommendations that they hope will be used to help prevent crime.
Dr. Roy Young, Director of Research, U.B.
“The University of Belize as a national university is doing this project because it’s a national need. We have looked at how the university could impact the community and crime is an issue in our community that is discussed a lot. And so we decided that it would be a good opportunity for the university to help address this issue. Also, it’s an opportunity for faculty to engage in research that is meaningful that is going to help in the community.”
Much of the information for the two-year project will be gathered through workshops like the session that took place today at the Radisson. U.B., in collaboration with its international affiliates, met with police officers, community agencies, the business community, NGO’s and representatives from the courts and Corrections Department to discuss the various approaches to crime, including community participation. The workshop was conducted by criminologist Dr. Robert Gordon. Gordon is a professor and Director at the School of Criminology at Simon Fraser University in Canada.
Dr. Robert Gordon
“The numbers of young adult males are those between fourteen and twenty-six is increasing. There is really no solution to that, that is realistic, but what it will mean or could mean is that there could be increases in predatory street crime as a result of an increase in that population. Now if that is recognized, there are ways in which one might be able to intervene with that particular portion of the population. So perhaps a great deal effort should be poured into dealing with youth crime, to addressing youth crime, to addressing the problems that youths are encountering and to taking seriously the needs of young adults as well.
“There is a tendency for us to assume that once person reaches the age of adulthood, we need not worry about them anymore, but young adults require just as much as attention, just as much concern and just as much way of resource as youth do. It’s an arbitrary age that we draw between youth and adulthood and it’s really unfortunate that we just abandoned people once they become adults.”
Data collection is another crucial issue that was discussed among the participants. Dr. Young says one of their objectives is to standardize the way information is gathered.
Dr. Roy Young
“In Belize, even the people who are collecting the data have conceded that the data is not accurate to a large extent. So we want to standardize data collection across organizations and institutions so that the information is more useful to them and others and to researchers. So that at some point in time in this crime research of the university, and in other assessment of the government and of the social activities in Belize, there will be some baseline information from which we can assess.”
Gordon, who will be touring the Hattieville prison later this week, says his underlying message to those involved in the fight against crime is to set aside internal differences and take the necessary steps to deal with the crime problem.
Dr. Robert Gordon
“It’s a message that’s transmitted to other police departments in other countries. So it’s nothing particularly problematic about the message or the crime situation in Belize that I have seen so far. So the message is get organized and the message also to a significant degree is set aside differences of opinion, because I sense there may be some turf wars going on, there may be some barriers between components of the criminal justice system, and the quicker those are torn down the quicker the better.”
At the end of the two-day workshop, the participants received certificates. Jacqueline Woods for News Five.
Dr. Young says Dr. Gordon will report to the U.B. Research Advisory Committee on his evaluation and the recommendations will be applied to crime prevention initiatives already underway.
