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Positive Community Corrections from a Police PerspectiveMarch 7, 2011By Ward Clapham Community corrections and policing have far more in common than one would think. The following may assist with determining the validity of this statement. As noted the “assistance” provided will be from a policing perspective. It is recognized that the governing legislation for the Correctional Service of Canada is the Corrections and Conditional Release Act. Upon reviewing this legislation it is significant to note that the initial principle that “shall guide the Service” is “that the protection of society be the paramount consideration in the corrections process.” From an historical Canadian perspective,
The reference to community corrections as an “ill-defined term” supports this police perspective that community corrections is not, nor should it be solely the responsibility of the correctional professionals. Nor should the “working definition” be restrictive. The definition for community corrections should be elastic and include key contributions by both the police and the general community. Contemporary criminal justice thought challenges the restrictive definition. Community-based corrections needs to be progressively defined, not merely as a collection on non-institutional alternatives, but a sequence of positive interventions at every point of the chain of causality, extending from prevention of crime through to control of offenders. The above is certainly consistent with the Mission of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police which reads in part “…we commit to preserve the peace, uphold the law and provide quality service in partnership with our communities.” This is further supported by a brief reference to a portion of the RCMP Vision which states that we will “be a progressive, proactive and innovative organization”. Positive community corrections breathes life into our “progressive, proactive and innovative” approach to community safety. This is an approach that includes our many partners and the community. It also, from a police perspective contributes positively to the definition of community corrections. Working Together to Achieve Solutions Positive community corrections is both an organizational philosophy and operational strategy based on Community Policing principles that promotes police and community outreach partnerships, proactive problem solving along with other public service agencies and community-based organizations to:
Positive Community Corrections is more than just Traditional Policing! Traditional policing is based on the professional policing model, operating with a paramilitary structure, with heavy emphasis placed on random patrols and rapid response. Police response is primarily reactive and incident-driven; with limited effectiveness in resolving community problems. Positive community corrections offers much more than just the reactive response. It is a comprehensive approach grounded on a proactive philosophy grounded further on key principles. Principles that ensure public protection, early intervention, yet allow for innovative problem solving, preventative and corrective approaches in an integrated, interdependent manner. And so you ask if it’s not a program but a new philosophy being applied to current policing challenges in support of corrections in the community, what does it look like and what are the lessons to be learned? And what of the claim it doesn’t necessarily take more time but is about how we spend the time we have? Positive Community Corrections Philosophy in Action Here are some positive interventions at various points in “the chain of causality” referenced above. Some deal with offending behaviour and some reinforce positive community behaviour. 1. Positive Tickets Positive Ticketing is an ongoing program built around a number of partnerships with the private business community and with the City of Richmond which provides police officers with positive “tickets” they can issue to young people to recognize them for good behavior, reward them for good deeds, or simply to connect with them at the street level to build trust and relationships. The tickets have value in the form of rewards the young people can claim, often in the form of free admission to community activities, like swimming at the aquatic centre, bowling, skating or movies. These activities provide a positive alternative for kids who would otherwise be “hanging on the streets”. In 2005 Richmond RCMP officers gave out twice as many positive tickets as they did traditional negative tickets. 2. Youth Intervention Program The Richmond Youth Intervention program’s mandate is to provide assessment, counseling and/or referral services to youth (seventeen years and younger) referred by RCMP members who have been identified by actual or potential conflict with the law. For those referrals that fall under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, the Police Officer has made a decision to give the youth an opportunity to learn more productive and socially acceptable behaviours and to understand the consequences of continued criminal behaviour. The goals of the program are:
Referrals from the community, schools, and other agencies are accepted on a case-by-case basis. The length of involvement with each youth and his or her family is dependent on the counselling issues identified. This program is fully funded by the City of Richmond. Both program staff have completed Masters Degrees in Counseling Psychology. 3. Drug Free Wristbands The Drug Free wristband initiative is all about sending a positive message to our youth. The Drug Free wristband initiative is a partnership between the RCMP and Richmond Sunrise Rotary Club. The wristbands are florescent lime green in color and have the message “Drug Free” stamped on them. Police were finding that youth were receiving too many mixed messages regarding illicit drugs. With the Drug Free wristband, there is no mixed message with this wristband! The message is clear - DRUG FREE. Live your life free of illegal substances. The Drug Free wristband is a positive message that clearly identifies a positive statement. The wristband allows adults and youth to promote a drug free message and lifestyle. The wristband is also an asset development initiative - sending positive messages to our youth. They are a huge hit with youth and adults. Everyone wants one! They are icebreakers for opening up lines of communication around illegal drug use. By wearing the band people are asking questions on the meaning. Adults can proactively approach a youth wearing the wristband and ask them what “Drug Free " means to them. Youth want to wear these wristbands because they are "in style"; they see them as power and protection. They look for friends that are wearing the bands so they can unite together in a positive/supportive peer pressure environment. 4. Street Racing Initiatives - Richmond RCMP Mini Cooper S Show Car. For a number of years, the City of Richmond has been dealing with Street Racing and illegally modified vehicles. Richmond had 5 street racing related deaths in 2002. As a result of these deaths, the RCMP and the City of Richmond took an active co-operative role in dealing with these problems. The City of Richmond has redesigned or altered roadways to discourage racing; provided additional funding to purchase unmarked police vehicles; and, provided funds to allow additional RCMP members to be out patrolling during peak times. The Richmond Detachment has actively prosecuted and enforced the laws pertaining to street racing, aggressive driving and illegally modified vehicles. These efforts seem to have discouraged a lot of the problems that were seen in past years. At the same time of stepped-up prosecution, Police realized that enforcement was not enough to effectively deal with the problem. It was recognized that a pro-active educational/information component was needed. So, police took delivery of a 2004 MINI Cooper S with a number of legal alterations. The MINI has several purposes. The focus of the car is to connect with car and performance enthusiasts and act as a demonstration platform. The MINI is taken to car shows, club meets, schools and community events. It acts as a conversation piece or icebreaker and allows Police to deliver messages about street racing, aggressive driving, vehicle modifications and general policing concerns. The MINI has been instrumental in getting performance enthusiasts to open up to Police and discuss their concerns or questions. The MINI is also used as the Resist the Race programs mascot. Resist the Race was developed locally to assist in educating youth on the dangers of street racing and aggressive driving. So far the MINI and the associated programs have been a great success. 5. Richmond Youth Section Rock Climbing Project
This project started with a Richmond Detachment Youth Section officer who was assigned to liaise with high risk students that could no longer attend regular high schools. Youth officers are routinely called to these schools to respond to enforcement issues and there are a few select youth that interact with the police on a regular basis. Most of these youths have learning challenges, substance abuse issues, and in some cases mental health issues as well, and very frequently have family problems and are disadvantaged in terms of their socio-economic situation. Police were finding that the interaction of many of these factors was creating serious challenges in the lives of some of these young persons. Thus the idea to take a group of youths rock climbing resulted. As some of the youth have been diagnosed with ADHD (Attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder), they frequently have difficulty with boredom, social interaction, and rule compliance, which can cause difficulty in team sport settings Rock climbing meets the excitement criteria. It provides both independence and adaptability to individual fitness and ability levels, as well as building trust in the belayer3. Through modeling it assists the youth in understanding and practicing positive social interactions. Several of the youth chose to continue climbing with the officer during the summer, as well as the school year, and were successful in passing their belay test. They have gone on to successfully integrate back into regular high school and or work experience programs. As a result of the positive channels of communication opened with the youth, police have found that it is possible to decrease gang and drug involvement and related violence in the schools. The families of several youths have expressed appreciation for the positive changes in behavior this has helped to facilitate. The program has assisted police community relationships and has been beneficial in building trust with some of the most vulnerable members of our community. Conclusion Positive community corrections is a proactive philosophy that has become a source of ideas and inspiration in finding ways to get entire communities to respond more positively to the challenge of creating and sustaining safer and healthier communities. It is really about involving all parts of the “community” including those on the “margins”. It is about encouraging the community to assume an ever increasing degree of ownership for their community; ownership that seeks out and supports solutions to local crime issues and assists with root problem solving.
The next step in this journey is to expand the positive community corrections in support of the safe reintegration of the offender from the prison to the community. Community participation in positive community programs will be critical for effective program delivery. This will include the involvement of the victim, offender, and a variety of professionals. Positive community corrections is all about creating safe homes - safe communities. Through citizen engagement, partnerships can be built with the community for the safe reintegration of offenders with the ultimate goal of higher rates of safe return to the community and lower rates of criminal recidivism. Clearly from this police perspective, our journey to date and our proposed next steps constitute positive community corrections.
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