RAND, 21 Mar 08: Violent Crime: Risk Models, Effective Interventions & Risk Managment
In the context of overcrowded prisons that have been shown to be ineffective at reducing reoffending, policy makers and practitioners face increasingly pressing questions about what works in reducing offending. In the case of violent crime, answers to this question have significant and immediate implications for individuals who may experience violence or reduced quality of life due to fear of crime, as well as for communities and societies for whom all crime is costly and damaging. The core concern of the National Audit Office (NAO) in commissioning this review was to find examples of risk management practices and interventions to prevent violence such as through better tracking of violent offenders and reducing violent reoffending. The effectiveness and cost-benefit of early interventions for preventing crime have been emphasised in a previous RAND Europe report commissioned by the NAO. Those findings hold true for violent crime as well. This review moves on to focus primarily on what works in reducing reoffending and preventing crime in areas affected by high rates of violence.....