NCJ Number
74676
Date Published
1980
Length
17 pages
Annotation
The Director of the Latin American Institute for the Prevention of Crime and Treatment of Offenders in Costa Rica examines crime trends and causes of increased rates of traditional crime as well as the energence of new crime forms.
Abstract
All sectors of a country's population share the responsibility for the problem of crime, which adversely affects society as a whole. In planning for economic development, countries should consider its implications for and correlation with crime. Within all components of criminal justice systems, capable and honest practitioners are primary need. Each country should also have a high-level coordinating and reform commission to study and implement judicial and corretional reforms on a continuing basis. Priority sectoral planning is needed in such areas as correctional alternatives to imprisonment, expeditious court proceedings, juvenile justice, and the quality of law enforcement (the latter in strict compliance with the code of ethics recently issued by the United Nations committee on Crime Prevention and Control). Planners should thoroughly research the correlations between crime and agriculture (especially relevant in Latin American countries), as well as the interfacing of crime with industry, education, health care, commerce, and entertainment (the latter with particular reference to pornography, violence, and sadism). The negative effects of socioeconomic development in some countries, formerly structured around traditional family and tribal ties and values, are cited with the warning that material improvements in the quality of life often compound, and even create -instead of alleviating -- crime problems.