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246Towards safer and more secure citiesThere can be littledoubt that it ispossible forrecidivism rates tobe significantlyreduced as aconsequence of amuch greaterconcentration onrehabilitation duringperiods in prisonWomen’s rights andmeasures againstviolence have also tobe reflected in thelaw, as in manycontexts legislationis still very wantingin terms ofprotecting womenfrom violenceelement of these debates is the frequency with whichprisons can still easily become finishing schools for criminals.For instance, a similar point is made in the PortMoresby case study, where the Bomana prison is oftenreferred to as ‘the university’, and where inmates enterwithout any skills and come out armed with skills andcontacts with crime. 20There can be little doubt that it is possible for recidivismrates to be significantly reduced as a consequence of amuch greater concentration on rehabilitation during periodsin prison. This will have a beneficial impact on urban crimebecause a high proportion of crime is committed by previousoffenders. This will be a huge challenge to governments, notleast because there might well be public and media oppositionto an approach of this nature as being ‘soft on crime’,and because of the resource implications in terms of the needfor new and improved prison facilities and more investmentin staff training and development. But the potential benefitsof a changed approach to the experience and circumstancesof prisons towards a fight against crime and violence areconsiderable; at the very least, there is a strong case for morecarefully monitored experimentation of this kind.Reduction of risk factorsChapter 4 has argued that this approach is essentially abouttwo related strands of activity: initiatives to address issues inrelation to those groups in society who are more likely tobecome offenders (particularly young men), and actions tohelp those groups who are likely to become victims of crime(particularly women). There has also been a growing emphasison victim-support initiatives of several kinds. Thisapproach recognizes that in a world of limited resources, it isimportant to target major problem areas such as these. It istherefore not surprising to find that activities of this natureare common in strategic processes designed to address crimeand violence.■ Targeting youthful offenders: Recruitmentand educational policy issuesWith respect to the first strand of activities, many of theinitiatives seek to target youth either in ways that deflecttheir energy and interests into other activities or offervarious kinds of work experience and training. This combinationof approaches is evident in Toronto’s programme ofcrime prevention through social development and the strategiesadopted in Kingston (Jamaica), both of which werediscussed in Chapter 4. It is important, however, that thinkingabout problems of this nature does not only begin at thetime when young people leave school because, as Chapter 3has demonstrated, children as young as six years arerecruited into gangs. Even if young people have not alreadycommitted themselves to criminal activities by the time theyleave school, there is still a considerable possibility that therole models they seek to emulate are from the criminalfraternity.One of the most important developments in this fieldis the need for closer and more effective liaison between thework of educational services and work that targets youngpeople in order to try to prevent them from offending sothat, as much as possible, the transition between the two isseamless. Evidence suggests that this is often not the case.However, there is considerable scope for closer and moreeffective coordination. A typical example is where schoolsports and cultural facilities are, in effect, locked up in theevenings, at weekends and during school holidays – and, yet,projects to divert the energy of young people towards sportingand cultural activities at these very same times strugglefor access to facilities. Very often, the explanation forlocking up these facilities relates, understandably, toconcerns about the security of school premises.But these problems are capable of being resolvedlocally and in ways that take up a small fraction of the costinvolved in duplicating these facilities, or of the cost tosociety of crime and violence perpetrated by young peoplethat might have been capable of being deflected through thecommunity use of these facilities. Another issue that iscommonly faced is how young people manage the transitionfrom school to work, where again there is considerable scopeto improve cooperation between schools, local employers andyouth-related services. The aims of these sorts of activitieswould be to improve work experience and training opportunitiesof many types, and to emphasize both the importanceand the value of an economically active lifestyle in preferenceto one dominated by crime and violence.■ Preventing violence against womenIn relation to the prevention of violence against women, thekey element of importance is the fact that such violenceneeds to be perceived as a serious issue by policy-makers andleaders at all levels. A systemic approach to tackling violenceagainst women needs to be developed and deployed. Thisshould strengthen the understanding of the impacts andcauses of gender-based violence, as well as identify vulnerabilities,and systematically address them. Awareness andsensitization tools are therefore of key importance. Women’srights and measures against violence have also to bereflected in the law, as in many contexts legislation is stillvery wanting in terms of protecting women from violence. Interms of interventions, in many contexts, the priority wouldhave to be sensitization of policy-makers and access ofwomen to decision-making processes. The development ofspecific tools and interventions to address vulnerability indifferent contexts is also important. Other interventions ofrelevance should target underlying factors, such as conceptionsof masculinity, cultural definitions of women’s rolesand rights in society, capacity of law enforcement and otheractors to carry out early interventions and to deal withoffenders.■ Women’s safety auditsOne of the frequently used tools to support the preventionof violence against women in the African Safer Citiesprogrammes is the women’s safety audit. The example fromDurban (Box 4.9) demonstrated both the value of thespecific suggestions that emerged from the process and theprocess itself. 21 As valuable as these process-related benefitsare, they need to be followed through so that commitments