Section 4 – Rationale for engaging in crime prevention

“Crime prevention today is an essential instrument for bringing down the crime rate, including crimes that are reported to police and those that remain undisclosed. It makes neighborhoods safe and at the same time ensures that people’s rights and freedoms are respected.”^{footnote 1[1]}

Address crime before it occurs

‘Prevention is better than cure.’ The intention is to work with communities to identify the risk factors that may lead to criminality even before it occurs. Crime prevention allows communities to work to reduce the motivation and risk factors associated with crime thereby safeguarding potential victims.

In addition, programs that reduce recidivism are an essential part of crime prevention. There is value in working with individuals who have been convicted to reduce future criminality. Ultimately, addressing crime before it occurs for the first, second or any subsequent time will enhance the safety of Ontarians.

“Although it seems contradictory, a violence prevention plan cannot focus on violence. Instead it must focus on human and social development. This is because violence is a symptom of a society out of balance, and unless and until that balance is created, violence will continue at an unacceptable level.”
- Waterloo Crime Prevention Council (2006)

Cost-effective

The overall financial and social costs of crime are increasingly important for society and government. Crime places a large financial burden on Ontarians. There are both tangible and intangible costs associated with crime. Tangible costs can be assigned a financial value and include medical, mental health, criminal justice, victim services, protective services costs and the value of stolen or damaged property. Intangible, or non-monetary costs, are generally more difficult to measure and include pain and suffering, fear of crime, hindering economic development, and lost quality of life. Significant also are the negative implications in terms of costs to the victims’ and offenders’ families.

“Thorough economic evaluation has shown that preventing just one career criminal can save society over $2 million. It is easy to see how a prevention program that costs $1.5 million to deliver services to 100 participants would be successful from an economic standpoint even if it only prevents 1% of program participants from a life of crime.”
- Pennsylvania State University (2008)

In 2003, crime and victimization cost Canadians over $70 billion, of which, $13 billion was spent on the criminal justice system.^{footnote 2[2]}In 2008, the cost of crime was estimated at $100 billion.^{footnote 3[3]}

A study released in 2009 showed that for an average municipality of 900,000 people, the estimated annual costs of crime to victims and the public is more than $1.3 billion.^{footnote 4[4]}

From a cost-benefit perspective, extensive research shows that crime prevention programs have proven to have significant returns on investment and are a cost-effective manner in which to address crime. It is fiscally responsible to work collaboratively and allocate resources in a balanced manner to target the risk factors of crime.

Studies confirm that a dollar invested now in crime prevention and early intervention avoids seven dollars spent on incarceration, victim services and other associated costs in the future. Another study found that one dollar allocated for enriched child care saves $17 in criminal justice costs in the future.^{footnote 5[5]}

The Perry School Program provides evidence that the crime prevention through social development approach is cost-effective.

“…for every dollar spent on the program, the community gained roughly $7 dollars worth of benefits in crime reduction and improvement of life opportunities.” This includes the benefits realised by participants and the costs avoided for criminal justice and victims services.
Australian Institute of Criminology (2000)
- Better Beginnings, Better Futures (2004)

The ‘Better Beginnings, Better Futures Program’ serves as a local example of crime prevention through social development and illustrates the cost-effectiveness of implementing this type of program. It costs approximately $2,960 to put a child through the program. Through an extensive research project, Queens University found that Better Beginnings resulted in cost savings by: lowering the number of visits children made to their physician; decreasing grade repetitions; decreasing the need to use special education programs; lowering arrests; decreasing instances of individuals requiring welfare and/or disability services.^{footnote 6[6]}

As illustrated below, an extensive evaluation of six crime prevention programs in Pennsylvania – each of which targets risk factors associated with crime – revealed a considerable return on investment.^{footnote 7[7]}

Supported by research

Evidence shows that social development approaches are cost effective and are effective at reducing crime and victimization. Research and current practices internationally, nationally and locally indicate that social development activities that target the risk factors of crime are the best way to address crime. Numerous provincial, national and international governments and agencies are increasingly focusing on social development by developing and delivering integrated multi-disciplinary strategies to this end.

Public support

The public is highly supportive of prevention. When asked to identify the principal goal of the criminal justice system, twice as many Canadians supported prevention as opposed to punishment. Furthermore, while people recognize and value the strong need for a robust corrections system and processes to control and incapacitate offenders, only 16% believe that corrections actually help prisoners become productive, law abiding citizens.^{footnote 8[8]}