Criminology 2231

Chapter 12: Communities of Practice

What are the markers of a healthy community?

 It has been said the low amounts of crime and equal education have been markers of a good
community
 The justice system destroys healthy communities bias and prejudices as well as asocial workers
which unfairly target people of color
 The media and people in power often assume and try to make minorities a large percent of
people who engage in crime while it is really whites in Canada who do most of the crimes
- However, people of color are arrested more because they are profiled
 Social disorganization – disorganized environment is the primary factor that leads to crime
 Mandatory minimums and targeting men for jail improves nothing and destroys the family
 What we should do:
- Affordable housing options
- Better schools with incentives to do homework
- Safe environments
- Trust in police (No stop and frisk, and no carding), this leads to resentment of the police
- Rehab and reintegration centers
- Community justice options, no prison which a death trap is

What are the benefits of a healthy community?

 Growth, development and innovation
 This can stop illegal practices that occur in other countries but are legal in Canada and have
increased involvement in the system
 When people are barred from the community and become an outcast, they can turn to crime for
a sense of belonging, something like this would have a significantly lower chance of occurring in
a health neighborhood

Community Based Justice initiatives on the Front Line

 Restorative justice is a form of community justice and has four parts; encounter, making
amends, remigration, and inclusion
 Encounter is not a central aspect of community initiatives
 Making amends, which can be volunteer work and community service. Will vary depending on
the severity of the crime
 Reintegration, possibly the most important because it tries to restore the victim, the offender,
and members of the community.
 Inclusion, the community
 Most lawyers, judges and officers do not live in the area they patrol so their investment of
offender’s reintegration can be vary narrow because they do not live with the consequences of
decisions they make.
 There are programs that help youth offenders and victims back into their communities, there
are similar programs for women victims.
 Sentencing circles are the alternative to jail and changes being processed. The offender will
agree to make restitutions or to make right and repair what they have done.
- Victim must agree and failure to comply could result in charges laid
 The diversion programs looks at why people commit crimes and attempts to meet these needs.