Comparative Criminology and Criminal Justice within the African Continent

There is no corner of the world where crime cannot be found. Increasingly, conventional crimes are being compounded by transnational crimes which know no borders. Concern for public safety and security nationally, regionally, and internationally have increasingly becoming an international issue and concern. This has been reflected in the 16th of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (i.e., Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions). There is an ever-increasing need for comparative criminology and criminal justice research in a world where communication, travel, and international cooperation and collaboration are becoming increasingly common. While many criminology and criminal justice programs offer related programs and courses, the practice of comparative criminological or criminal justice research on the African continent is less well developed. This article draws on existing research and practices to explore the rationale and justification for engaging in such research and offers several methodological approaches that can be used to promote comparative criminological and criminal justice inquiry and research within the African continent

Utilizing the capacity of positive peer pressure through the global youth justice movement: A 'golden' opportunity for the Balkans

The predicament of juvenile delinquency for most nations, including that of the Balkan region at large, has been something of an enigma ever since juvenile justice legislation was first introduced. In recent years, juvenile delinquency in the Balkans has not only been increasing but its gravity has also trended upward and added to the burden of a strained juvenile justice system. This article presents an alternative option to the formal juvenile justice system which is designed to empower youth, which builds community capacity and youth resiliency, and is reintegrative and restorative in nature. An overview of the peer court model is presented and described within a possible Balkan context. Various evidence is discussed as to its relative success in other regions of the world. The paper concludes with several observations as to why the peer court model could/should be adopted by the countries in the Balkans along with several pragmatic and practical considerations around the implementation and administration of the model

Combating (Child) Human Trafficking: Building Capacity

The presentation/paper focuses on the challenges and necessity of building capacity at local, national, and international levels with a focus of how to more effectively combat trafficking in human beings (THB). Insight from several of initiatives are shared with the aim of illustrating how to capitalize on the vast number of opportunities that already exist at these levels and how they might be coordinated to enable collaborative work in an informed and dynamic manner to combat human trafficking. Information from several recent research projects that focus on some of these same issues is also incorporated into this paper. El art&iacute;culo se centra en los desaf&iacute;os de la lucha contra el tr&aacute;fico de personas y en la necesidad de aumentar la capacidad para ser m&aacute;s eficaces en ese sentido, local, nacional e internacionalmente. Nos hacemos eco de la visi&oacute;n de varias iniciativas, con el fin de ilustrar c&oacute;mo capitalizar el gran n&uacute;mero de oportunidades que ya existen en los &aacute;mbitos citados, y la forma en que se podr&iacute;an coordinar para posibilitar la colaboraci&oacute;n de una manera informada y din&aacute;mica para combatir la trata de personas. Tambi&eacute;n se incluye en el art&iacute;culo informaci&oacute;n emanada de diversos proyectos recientes de investigaci&oacute;n sobre el tema que nos ocupa. DOWNLOAD THIS PAPER FROM SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=3086067</a

Migrant smuggling in Canada possible: Lessons for other countries

Even though migration has been seen as an expression of people's willingness to overcome adversity to find and live a better life within the complex socio-political and diverse world of today, it has become a problematic phenomenon in Canada, and elsewhere. Aside from definitional challenges, the illegal movement of people presents a wide range concerns for States (e.g., accommodating the numbers, migrant integration, socio-cultural barriers, etc.). Defining and responding to 'irregular migration' is fraught with a number of challenges but recent cases in Canada provide possible options to ensure the safety and security of illegal migration movements not only in Canada but potentially internationally. An intervention and prevention model based on engagement, empathy, and empowerment (i.e. 3E's) is discussed

Introduction. Human Trafficking: Challenges and Opportunities for the 21st Century

The Introduction begins with an outline of what human trafficking entails and the international and regional legal regime as it currently stands. It contends that human trafficking occurs across the globe, requiring international, regional and local responses that incorporate different actors, both state and non-state. The ten contributions in the special issue deal with some of the most common forms of human trafficking, including forced labour, sexual exploitation and child trafficking. The Introduction also outlines that there are many forms of human trafficking that are not as well-known but that, nevertheless, also require legal and policy responses. Some country good practice examples are provided. The Introduction also includes legal and policy proposals as agreed upon at both workshops. Esta Introducci&oacute;n comienza con un bosquejo de lo que implica la trata de personas, y el r&eacute;gimen jur&iacute;dico internacional y regional de estos momentos. Argumenta que el tr&aacute;fico de personas ocurre en todo el mundo, requiere una respuesta internacional, regional y local que implique a diferentes agentes, tanto estatales como externos al estado. Las diez contribuciones que forman este n&uacute;mero monogr&aacute;fico tratan sobre algunas de las formas m&aacute;s comunes de tr&aacute;fico de personas, incluyendo trabajos forzados, explotaci&oacute;n sexual y tr&aacute;fico de ni&ntilde;os. Adem&aacute;s, la Introducci&oacute;n sugiere que hay muchas formas de tr&aacute;fico de personas que no son tan conocidas pero que, sin embargo, tambi&eacute;n exigen respuestas legales y pol&iacute;ticas. Se ofrecen ejemplos de buenas pr&aacute;cticas por parte de algunos pa&iacute;ses. Por &uacute;ltimo, la Introducci&oacute;n incluye tambi&eacute;n propuestas legales y pol&iacute;ticas que han recibido conformidad en los dos talleres que han originado este monogr&aacute;fico. DOWNLOAD THIS PAPER FROM SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=3081022</a