A contemporary meta-analysis of social justice approaches to crime prevention

• In Event: Approaches to crime prevention

Abstract

Governments all over the world are constantly endeavouring to make their communities safer and the lives of their citizens less fearful. Pleasingly, the research outputs on this subject are voluminous and growing, especially with regard social crime prevention. But too often the research work is ignored by policymakers because they are wary of social justice initiatives in the crime reduction equation. Too often they resort to quick fix ‘solutions’ that do not fix anything, cost an enormous amount, and often make matters worse. This paper provides an up to date meta-analysis of social crime prevention research outputs that prove that a safe and secure community is best built on the pursuit of economic and social justice, equality of opportunity, and the development of strong social capital that builds and rebuilds people’s lives in constructive ways. The paper is designed to highlight for policymakers and their political masters that they can put their trust in social crime prevention initiatives and not threaten their credibility, effectiveness or political careers.

Author

• Rick Sarre, University of South Australia