Dr. Sharon Chamard and Dr. Troy Payne, Justice faculty, attended the 21st annual
Environmental Criminology and Crime Analysis (ECCA) Symposium in June in Philadelphia.Some of this year's presentations included research on:
- "journey-to-crime" - physical proximity versus ease of access to locations
- geographic clustering of residential structure fires and burglary
- Philadelphia police foot patrols and "patrol dosage" (what officers do, who the officers are, time spent on patrol)
- application of the CRAVED model (a way to assess the desirability of a target) to illegal commercial fishing
- organizational failures in the Vancouver Police Department and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police concerning the investigation of the Vancouver Missing Women/Pig Farm Serial Murder case.
A highlight of this year's symposium was a tour of murals in some of the more challenged neighborhoods in Philadelphia. The “Restorative Justice Tour” is part of the the City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program, and incorporates the concepts of restorative justice through art instruction, mural making, and community service work within the criminal justice system. Current inmates, ex-offenders, and juvenile delinquents are given the opportunity to learn new skills and make a positive contribution to their communities to repair the prior harm they may have caused.
ECCA is an annual, invitation-only symposium attended by an international group of researchers and practitioners engaged in situational crime prevention, intelligence-led policing, and problem-oriented policing. In 2008, the Justice Center hosted the 17th annual ECCA Symposium on the UAA campus.
