FINAL SYNTHESIS - SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS (FROM HOSTAGE-TAKING - PROBLEMS OF PREVENTION AND CONTROL MANAGEMENT TRAINING SEMINAR - FINAL REPORT, 1976, BY R D CRELINSTEN AND D LABERGE-ALTMEJD - SEE NCJ-49367)

• NCJ Number: 49374
• Author(s): R D CRELINSTEN
• Date Published: 1976
• Length: 36 pages
• Corporate Author: University of Maryland; Universite de Montreal, Centre International de Criminologie Comparee
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/
• Language: English
• Country: Canada

Annotation

PREREQUISITES FOR RESEARCH ON PREVENTION AND CONTROL, DISTINCTIONS IN HOSTAGE SITUATIONS, ADVANCE PLANNING, WELL-TESTED PROCEDURES, THE MASS MEDIA, ROLE OF THE HOSTAGE, DETERRENCE, AND RESEARCH WERE SEMINAR ISSUES.

Abstract

CONTINUOUS INFORMATION EXCHANGE AT ALL LEVELS OF CONTROL, UNSKEWED DATA COLLECTION, AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF A TYPOLOGY OF HOSTAGE SITUATIONS BASED ON OPERATIONAL NEEDS ARE THE PREREQUISITES DETERMINED BY THE SEMINAR FOR EFFCTIVE RESEARCH ON PREVENTION AND CONTROL PROGRAMS. AS A PRELUDE TO ANY WORK TYPOLOGY, THE FOLLOWING DISTINCTIONS WERE FOUND TO BE USEFUL: SKYJACKING AS COMPARED TO OTHER HOSTAGE SITUATIONS; KIDNAPING VERSUS BARRICADED SITUATIONS; POLITICAL VERSUS CRIMINAL CONTEXT; PRISON CONTEXT AS COMPARED TO OTHER HOSTAGE SITUATIONS; AND REGIONAL DIFFERENCES. PRIORITIES, POLICIES, PERSONNEL AND EQUIPMENT NEEDS, AND NEGOTIABLE ITEMS ARE MATTERS IDENTIFIED FOR ADVANCE PLANNING. WELL-TESTED PROCEDURES CONSIDERED STANDARD REQUIREMENTS IN ANY EFFECTIVE CONTROL PROGRAM ARE: CLARITY OF COMMAND; SPECIAL TRAINING FOR PERSONNEL; NEGOTIATORS SELECTED AND TRAINED TO BE OTHER THAN ULTIMATE DECISIONMAKERS; DECISIONMAKING PREPARED TO BE QUICK, BUT FLEXIBLE; THE KEEPING OF WRITTEN LOGS DURING AN INCIDENT; REGULAR MEDIA BRIEFING; AND DEBRIEFING AFTER AN INCIDENT. IT IS INDICATED THAT THE ROLE OF THE HOSTAGES IS UNDERESTIMATED AND LITTLE RESEARCH HAS BEEN DONE ON THE HOSTAGE-CAPTOR RELATIONSHIP; AND THE RELEVANCE AND EFFECTIVENESS OF DETERRENCE IN HOSTAGE SITUATIONS IS ALSO CONSIDERED POORLY UNDERSTOOD. BASED ON AN ANALYSIS OF THE SEMINAR PROCEEDINGS, THE FOLLOWING TOPICS EMERGED SUBJECTS FOR RESEARCH: 1) THE EFFECT OF POLICY ON INCIDENT MANAGEMENT; 2) DECISIONMAKING DURING CRISIS SITUATIONS; 3) DETERRENT MODELS OF INCIDENT MANAGEMENT; 4) THE POTENTIAL ROLE OF MASS MEDIA IN PREVENTION AND CONTROL PROGRAMS; 5) A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF OPERATIONAL FLOW CHARTS ADAPTED FOR DIFFERENT HOSTAGE SITUATIONS; AND 6) THE HOSTAGE-CAPTOR RELATIONSHIP AND ITS RELEVANCE TO INCIDENT MANAGEMENT. (RCB)