Criminalizing Homelessness: Circumstances Surrounding Criminal Trespassing and People Experiencing Homelessness

Criminal trespassing (CT) is an understudied misdemeanor offense often enforced to maintain control over contested spaces and, in practice, often disproportionately used against disenfranchised populations such as the homeless and mentally ill. This study uses the CT case files of a county criminal district attorney’s office to investigate how cases involving defendants experiencing homelessness are handled compared with other defendants. Results show that homeless defendants make up a substantial portion of all CT cases, are more likely to be repeat CT defendants, and account for most jail sentences. Whereas defendants with mental health issues were often deferred for services, this avenue was not similarly extended to homeless defendants. Qualitative analyses show varied circumstances related to CT arrest for homeless and non-homeless defendants. The findings suggest various policy implications to refocus police resources and promote interagency cooperation to address the underlying causes of CT involvement by people experiencing homelessness.

A Digital Communication Platform for Inter-Agency Collaboration to Manage High-Impact Domestic Abuse: Structure and Essentials

Interagency cooperation is a necessary response to domestic abuse to care best for victim-survivors. However, for many reasons especially pertaining data security, digital solutions to support such action remain scarce. This chapter explains what needs to be considered when installing such a tool into a network of front-line responders' activity by pointing to the advantages of digital communication platforms to manage high impact domestic abuse and summarising what IMPRODOVA researchers' expertise presented regarding the status quo of exchange of information in domestic abuse cases. Afterwards, criteria are defined that need to be fulfilled by an ICT tool set up for the management of domestic abuse by professional front-line responders. Moreover, criteria to be fulfilled by the users of the ICT tool set up for the management of domestic abuse by professional front-line responders are discussed. Finally, the stashcat® app is presented as a suitable tool meeting the before defined criteria to a great extent. This is also attested by the evaluation of the stashcat® app during its piloting by a Slovenian network of front-line responders. In sum, this chapter shows that digital solutions can assist professionals to communicate quick and effectively when supporting victim-survivors of domestic abuse.

Frontline Response to High Impact Domestic Violence in Germany

With a total of 141,792 incidents in 2019, domestic violence is a serious problem throughout Germany. The country chapter provides an overview of crime statistics and results from victim studies and a cost study. Concerning legislation, there have been two major waves improving victim protection in recent times, initiated by implementing the Act on Protection against Violence in 2002 and the ratification of the Istanbul Convention in 2018. An ongoing trend towards interagency cooperation and setting up coordination bodies can be noted in the social sector, also incorporating law enforcement agencies and medical institutions. After delineating the scope of responsibilities of front-line responders in the police, medical, and social sectors, the country chapter describes examples of good practices for interagency cooperation. The country chapter concludes with the main challenges to be anticipated in combatting domestic violence. The three main objectives identified are minimising unreported cases, expanding the scope of interventions, and improving victim protection in the short and medium-term. In the long term, the implementation of policies and standards will be vital to evaluate and improve prevention and protection measures to assure a high and nationwide comparable quality standard.

Do Survivors Feel Protected by Family Violence Legislation? Reflections on the Family Violence Act 2016 (ACT) from Those with Lived Experience

Civil protection order legislation is the primary mechanism in each of Australia’s eight jurisdictions’ system-based response to domestic and family violence (DFV). There are many differences across the states’ and territories’ legislation, with each amended numerous times since their inception in the early 1980s. The latter is exemplified by the new Australian Capital Territory (ACT) legislative framework, the Family Violence Act 2016 (ACT) (the Act), which was introduced in 2017, following a number of high-profile intimate partner homicides. The aim of the Act was to better protect those who fear, experience or witness family violence (FV). This article reflects on whether that aim is being achieved, from the perspective of those with lived FV experience. We conducted in-depth interviews with eight people who identified as having lived experience (LE) with the Act. The open-ended questions were designed to elicit their observations, experiences, and suggestions concerning the black letter provisions and their implementation. The theme of safety emerged strongly as issues were revealed, including waiting for orders to be served, their duration, the exclusion of children, limits of the definition of FV, such as the omission of cultural and technology-facilitated abuse, as well as inadequate interagency cooperation and information sharing. Their reflections highlight that, while some improvements have indeed been made, there often remains a lack of protection for victims. Drawing on these experiences, we put forward recommendations for amendments to the current regime, which may further promote victim and community safety and reiterate the importance of listening to the voices of those at the coalface of experiencing FV.

Practical use of ArcGIS for the ensurance of national security

At the present stage of development, the geographic information system (GIS) technology can be applied in many areas, including national security. Geospatial data create new opportunities for resolving vital issues, among which are detection and immediate response to threats and dangers, as well as for making effective management decisions on preventive security development. Previously, GIS has been a technology used by a small group of geospatial data analysts with limited access to up-to-date data. Nowadays, the ArcGIS software is a geospatial platform, which provides capabilities to the civil security sector of countries striving for sustainable development, public order and emergency prevention. ArcGIS maps and applications can help governments to create space for interagency cooperation in national security and other fields, where geospatial data is an administrative and decision-making instrument. The article describes the advantages of the ArcGIS software, including its extensions and add-ons, the best practices of applying GIS technology for the purposes of public order enforcement, potential offense detection and public event security. In addition, ArcGIS is used to access the existing data and integrate it into a common geographic context - a web map ensuring the interoperability of data and a better understanding of how to take security measures and make objects clearly visible. The GIS application analysis has shown that public order enforcement through the utilization of geospatial data implies the detection of dangers, threats and vulnerabilities, interagency cooperation thanks to shared situational awareness across multiple groups for daily operations, and action coordination with the use of the latest technologies and public information. At this point, the ArcGIS software makes it easier to take national security and pubic order measures from any device, at any time and place.

The United States Intelligence Community

The purpose of this work is to examine interagency cooperation within the United States (US) Intelligence Community (IC). To elucidate the importance of interagency interoperability, two cases wherein IC agencies failed to appropriately collaborate are presented: 1) the September 11th attacks of 2001 and 2) the failed bombing by Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, also referred to as the underwear bomber. This work begins with a brief review of how interagency issues have quite deep roots in the IC. Then, readers are presented with a review of the two cases that is followed by an in-depth analysis of the factors that were common to both failures. Ultimately, the variations in modus operandi (MO), a lack of clear guidelines, and bureaucracy were identified as the three primary factors of failure in both of the cases. Therefore, the work concludes by recommending improved training and educational opportunities for those in the IC in addition to the establishment of an independent entity that would be responsible for overseeing and guiding interagency activities.

ORGANIZATION OF INTERDEPARTMENTAL INTERACTION IN THE CONDITIONS OF COMPLICATED EPIDSITUATION

The article reflects the experience of the response of the Republic of Belarus and other countries to emergencies of biological origin and the importance of interagency cooperation for their prevention, localization and elimination.

PREVENTION SAFE DRIVING A VEHICLE

Основной целью психопрофилактики является сохранение психического здоровья, душевного равновесия чело- века. Предупреждение дорожно-транспортных происшествий и снижение числа смертей на дорогах заключается в повышении зна- чимости первичной и вторичной психопрофилактики в структуре медицинского обеспечения безопасности дорожного движения; гармонизации межведомственного взаимодействия с целью предотвращения чрезвычайных ситуаций на транспорте и дорожно- транспортных происшествий; раннем выявлении и профилактике психических заболеваний. The cardinal object of psychoprophylaxis is to preserve the mental health and mental balance of a person. Prevention of road accidents and reducing the number of deaths on the roads is to increase the importance of primary and secondary psychoprophylaxis in the structure of medical road safety; harmonization of interagency interaction to prevent transport emergencies and road accidents; early detection and prevention of mental diseases. Keywords: prevention, interagency cooperation, security,vehicle management