Assessing Deviance, Crime and Prevention in Europe

Projektlaufzeit:

2006-2009

Projektmitarbeiter:

Prof. Peter Wetzels
Prof. Klaus Sessar (em.)

Kooperationspartner:

Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique
Erasmus Universiteit
European Forum for Urban Safety Facultés
Universitaires Saint - Louis
Fondation Nationale des Sciences Politiques
Generalitat de Catalunya Departament d’Interior
Hochschule für Sozialwesen Esslingen
Keele University
Middlesex University
Open University
Regione Emilia - Romagna
Universidad de Zaragoza
Universidad del Pais Vasco
Faculdade de Direito da Universidade do Porto
Universita degli Studi di Genova
Università di Bologna
Université Catholique de Louvain
Université de Liège
Université des Sciences Humaines et Sociales de Toulouse Le Mirai
Université Libre de Bruxelles
Université Victor Segalen
Universiteit Gent
University of Leeds
University of Peloponnese
University of Sheffield
Inštitut za kriminologijo pri Pravni fakulteti v Ljubljani
Univerza v Mariboru
Vrije Universiteit Brussel
Université des Sciences et Technologies de Lille – Lille I
Johann-Wolfgang-Goethe Universitaet Frankfurt/Main

Projektfinanzierung:

European Commission (Sixth Framework Programme; FP6)

Projektbeschreibung:

CRIMPREV is a Coordination Action implemented by an interdisciplinary consortium of 31 participants from 10 European countries.

The project aims at producing comparative, European added value based on knowledge accrued within national frameworks about social, political, economic, legal and cultural factors conducive to socially deviant behaviour and crime, their perception among the public and the public policies pertaining to these phenomena.
Little is known about the variety of situations, policies and scholarly analyses within the European Union. Each State generally tends to confine itself to mostly single/national references, and the Commission itself seems at times to have some difficulty in acknowledging the variety of analyses across the European scene. Researchers themselves find it difficult to get an overview of the diversity of national scientific productions, in spite of efforts by the various scientific networks. It is this diversity itself that we feel should be used if we are to "integrate and strengthen the European Research Area", as called for in the FP6. Indeed, it makes the European Union a natural laboratory for comparative work, which may be used to produce added value in scholarship.

The project defines four objectives:
The production of scholarly added value by the systematic use of comparisons within the European Union, thanks to the great variety of situations in the different member countries, which represents a sort of natural laboratory. These comparisons will be organised along the various issues listed in the call under the §6.2.3 Crime and Criminalisation, a specific WP being devoted to each issue: (a) the factors of deviant behaviours (WP2); (b) the causes and consequences of criminalisation (WP3); (c) perceptions of crime and feelings of insecurity (WP4); (d) the relationship between deviance and organised crime (WP5); (e) crime prevention and social integration policies (WP6)

The dissemination of the scholarly added value produced, (a) within the Consortium; (b) more widely, within the scientific community; (c) among officials at different governmental levels throughout Europe; and (d) to the various stakeholders in these subjects (media actors, NGOs, the private security sector or others). The dissemination policy of this Coordination Action plans for tools (a website; a newsletter, or booklets, on line or paper) specially adapted to the needs of officials and practitioners.This will be implemented through specific means devoted to these various audiences (website, targeted newsletters, academic publications etc…)

The development of an interdisciplinary scientific network susceptible of:

(a) gradually integrating competent centres in different countries, starting from a solid core group . A specific emphasis will be put on integrating recent EU member and candidate countries, whith the aim of fostering partnerships and helping consolidate research on socially deviant behaviours and prevention ;
(b) establishing relevant scholarly cooperation with centres located outside the European Union. All of the networks involved in this project (GERN, EFUS, IAHCCJ) have had long-standing relationships with institutions and colleagues from other continents. For instance, GERN has several associate member centers in Canada and Brasil; EFUS has links with Argentina and Africa; IAHCCJ, through its journal and conferences, has a wide network of academics specialising in criminal justice history in numerous countries outside EuropeParticipant centres and academics have their own partnerships with many countries within and outside the EU. Many of these will be invited to take part in the project's workshops and seminars.The provision, for officials at various governmental levels, of methodological skills bearing on assistance in decision-making, measurement of facts and evaluation of public policies, in order to contribute to the work of monitoring centres at supra-national, national or infra-national levels. This will be mainly achieved through WP7 Methodology and Good Practice Guidelines, the results of which are specifically aimed at decision-makers. The drafting of guidelines regarding the use of victimization and fear of crime surveys, self-reported delinquency surveys, criminal statistics and prevention policies will be critical in this respect.

The project will be used as a basis for constructing a lasting network, by federating and extending the pre-existing elements.

International Scientific Coordination: Prof. René Lévy, CNRS

The University of Hamburg is particularly involved in Workpackage 4: Perceptions of Crime and Feelings of Insecurity

The 1st meeting of WP4 will be held from the 15th to 16th of March 2007 at the University of Hamburg