The greatest obstacle to rescuing victims of human trafficking is identifying them. To make identifying these people easier the Vera Institute of Justice created a screening tool to be used by victim service providers and law enforcement when faced with someone who may be a victim of human trafficking. The tool, a 30-topic questionnaire that was tested by service providers and validated by Vera researchers, is the result of a two-year study funded by the National Institute of Justice. http://www.vera.org/pubs/special/human-trafficking-identification-tool

Mit einer Presseerklärung hat das Innenministerium NRW im Juni verkündet, dass das Projekt „erfolgreich“ sei und daher ausgeweitet würde, u.a. auf die Stadt Münster. Wie der hier verkündete Erfolg gemessen wurde, wird nicht mitgeteilt. Dabei wird das Projekt wissenschaftlich evaluiert, und auf der Website des Instituts für Psychologie der Universität Kiel präsentiert sich ein 12-köpfiges Projektteam, s. http://entwpaed.psychologie.uni kiel.de/index.php/forschungsprojekte.html. Nach Aussagen des Projektleiters wird die Datenerhebung zur Wirkungsevaluation des Projektes Ende dieses Jahres abgeschlossen sein und der Bericht Anfang 2015 vorgelegt werden. Zum Projekt insgesamt: http://www.mik.nrw.de/themen-aufgaben/projekt-kurve-kriegen.html

City police unions in New York City don’t have the right to block a local law that makes it easier for the public to sue cops for racial profiling. A judge ruled that “the law only seeks to deter the use of attributes such as race as the sole basis for an investigatory stop which is antithetical to our constitution and values,” while adding that the court understood that cops had to make “split-second decisions” when conducting investigative stops. The ruling has been hailed as a victory for all New Yorkers, including the police, because it builds trust and respect between officers and the communities they serve. Quelle: http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/nyc-crime/public-allowed-sue-cops-stop-and-frisk-profiling-judge-article-1.1835438

An estimated 2.7 million children have a parent in jail or prison in the US. A pilot program in Philadelphia uses videoconferencing to give incarcerated parents a more active role in the decision-making surrounding their kids. But while technology is creating new avenues for jailed parents to stay connected with their children, researchers emphasize the importance of contact meetings and say videoconferencing should only be used as a supplemental measure. Quelle: http://nextcity.org/daily/entry/philadelphia-prison-women-mothers-children-videoconferencing-dhs

Eight US-states that have had significant reductions in both recidivism and crime rates. The recidivism rate ranged from about 6 percent to 18 percent in those states. Researchers analyzed data and the report pointed to specific strategies that reduced recidivism, including: investing in community-based treatment, tailoring approaches to individual needs and providing incentives for participation in programs designed to reduce likelihood of a person reoffending. Drops in crime rates in the states highlighted coincided with decreases in recidivism rates, according to the report. http://csgjusticecenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/ReducingRecidivism_StatesDeliverResults.pdf