“Scientific research proves to be an indispensable tool in the development and adjustment of criminal policies.” The words are from Hicham Mellati, Director of Criminal Affairs and Pardons and Crime Observation at the Ministry of Justice.
The magistrate who spoke last Saturday at the Faculty of Legal, Economic and Social Sciences in Tangier, delivered an exhaustive analysis of empirical data over two decades (2002-2022). For the speaker, “scientific research must be structured around several complementary axes”.
Starting with “an in-depth statistical analysis to capture criminal reality in all its complexity”. Another suggestion is a careful study of the social and psychological factors that underlie criminal behavior. “This approach must be supplemented by a rigorous evaluation of the effectiveness of prevention and repression policies, as well as by the development of innovative investigation methodologies adapted to new forms of crime,” underlines the speaker. For him, “reducing this gap requires an integrated strategy based on several fundamental pillars”.
First, the substantial strengthening of investigation and scientific expertise capacities, allowing a better understanding of criminal phenomena. Second, a continuous and proactive adaptation of the legal framework, capable of anticipating and responding to emerging forms of crime. Third, an intensification of international cooperation, essential in the face of the increasingly transnational nature of criminal threats. “Finally, and perhaps most crucially, a more systematic and structured involvement of scientific research in the design and evaluation of criminal policies,” recommends Mellati.
(More information in The Economist of Tomorrow Thursday December 26, 2024).
J.R
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