Mediation and social links

1. City of Helsinki Mediation and social links CITY OF HELSINKI Internal Auditing Kalle Koskivirta 06.05.2004, the City of Angers

2. City of Helsinki Second round table:Mediation and social links • Individual level: Mediation • Social level: Social links

3. City of Helsinki Mediation • Criminal mediation activities were started in Finland on a voluntary basis in the late 1980’s by training conciliators and mediators • Mediation is a modern way to deal with crimes and their consequences, especially where young perpetrators are concerned

4. City of Helsinki ...Mediation... • When a criminal case is tried in court, the defendant usually pleads not guilty or at least tries to underrate the offence he or she has committed. This is apt to increase the sufferings of the victims and also the injustice they have experienced. • On the other hand, the court procedure can decrease the knowledge of the purpose of law and the intention of the legitimate principles.

5. City of Helsinki ...Mediation... • Mediation starts from confessing or admitting the offence or the crime. By confessing the misdeed or the crime the offender expresses his/her will to settle the deed and make good its consequences to the victim.

6. City of Helsinki ...Mediation... • In mediation, the offender and the victim meet under the supervision of a trained, impartial conciliator to discuss the mental and physical consequences caused by the misdeed and agree on the measures to be taken. • Thus the victim has the possibility to talk about the incident from his/her own point of view, and the offender can see the concrete results of his/her act and learn to assume and bear the responsibility of such acts.

7. City of Helsinki ...Mediation... • Victim-offender mediation has proved to be a functional means of interfering in juvenile delinquency in particular as well as in other damage and injury caused by the young. Practice has shown that victim-offender mediation is a tried and tested method of interfering in the problems of youth with criminal tendencies. • In Finland, municipalities arrange mediation on a voluntary basis and consider mediation an important tool and therefore have developed it significantly.

8. City of Helsinki ...Mediation... • Today victim-offender mediation has increased in Finland to the extent that about 80 per cent of the population lives in communities where mediation is being applied. – However, mediation has not yet been organised in all the smaller municipalities which of course is a problem.

9. City of Helsinki ...Mediation • One aim of criminal mediation is also to reduce the number of minor cases in the courts. The current government in Finland has decided to pass a law about mediation so that it becomes a statutory activity instead of the present voluntary activity in the crime process handling. • Besides the victim, the offender and the mediator, representatives of the social services, the police, the public prosecutor and the court are also involved in the mediation process. • Source: RITONEN 2/2004, p. 8; www.rikoksentorjunta.fi

10. City of Helsinki Social links: CASE STUDY Background “The General Safety Strategy of the City of Helsinki” The capital of Finland, Helsinki City

11. City of Helsinki Social links: Back ground • The Council of State of Finland made a principle decision about crime prevention on 4.3.1999. The letter from the Police Department of Helsinki Jurisdictional District about crime prevention to the City of Helsinki 7.7.1999. • The executive group chaired by the Mayor and the working group were set up and appointed on 6.10.1999. The work group’s report was completed on 31.11.2000. • City Council approved « The General Safety Strategy of the City of Helsinki » 9.5.2001. The follow-up report will be submitted to the City Council in spring 2004.

12. City of Helsinki Social links: working group • The safety strategy was made in cooperation with the City of Helsinki, the Helsinki Police Department, the Parish Union of Helsinki, the Helsinki Chamber of Commerce and the Federation of the Associations for Helsinki City Quarters. • From the City of Helsinki following administrative offices and departments were involved: • The City Office, the City Planning Office, the Cultural Office, the Sports Department, the Youth Department, the Education Department and the Social Services Department.

13. City of Helsinki Social links: planning • Planning commenced with the working group dividing the areas relating to safety and crime prevention into 4 parts. 1. Vandalism, which included damage, graffiti and such occurrences, 2. Fear experienced on the streets, at home and within family, 3. Matters relating to intoxicants, including the use of alcohol and drugs, 4. Crime, referring to assault, robbery and theft and other so-called serious professional crime ; murder and wide-scale financial crimes were not included in the study.

14. City of Helsinki Social links: details • Implementation details: The safety strategy includes lines of action in the following areas relating to safety. • 1. Maintenance of law and order in the streets, • 2. Reducing the use of intoxicants, • 3. Prevention of damage to property, • 4. Improving the safety of the environment, • 5. Prevention of vehicle-related crime, • 6. Improvement of business and workplace safety, • 7. Integration of immigrants as part of improving safety, • 8. Maintenance of domestic peace.

15. City of Helsinki Social links: example • For these areas the strategy includes a range of activities as focal, and specification of the organisations and partners mainly are responsible for them. • For instance : 2. Reducing the use of intoxicants ; the working group consists of representatives from the Social Services Department (Chair), the Cultural Office, the Sports Department, the Youth Department and the Education Department of Helsinki City as well as representatives from the Police and the Church.

16. City of Helsinki Social links... • Cooperation A feature common to all the sectors of the safety strategy is that improvement of safety is a cooperative effort. The essential cooperation between the City, he Police, the Business Community, the Parishes and residents will achieve better results than working alone. • Network The actors involved must create the kind of network where the citizens feel that safety work is well-coordinated and along the same lines. Cooperation starts by improving the flow of information.

17. City of Helsinki ...Social links... • Early intervention The Helsinki Safety Strategy emphasises the significance of preventive actions and early intervention work at the local level. • The leading principles In maintaining safety include preventive action, support to families in upbringing children, intensification of cooperation between authorities, the local police, the church, residents and the business community.

18. City of Helsinki ...Social links... • Furthermore Bringing activities to the basic level, i.e. to city districts, neighbourhoods and customer service counters etc. is essential. For this purpose, functional publicity channels accessible to all are being developed (local newspapers; Internet ; polls / Gallups ; to be on call/cell phones etc.). • Financial aspects At the beginning no money was needed. The change of work procedures and cooperation were essential. Later on of course some budget money will be necessary to maintain new procedures. (e.g. : Graffiti cleaning 2,7 M euros/year)

19. City of Helsinki ...Social links • Evaluation Statistics show that the street safety index is moving towards a safer city environment. • Prospects: The case is not a project but a continuous process. The safety issue might be one agenda in the municipal elections in Oct. 2004. • kalle.koskivirta@hel.fi +358 9 1692271 ; +358 50 366 5427 ; telefax : +358 9 169 3655