USAID's Crime Prevention Program
United States Agency for International Development in the Dominican Republic (August 4, 2013- August 4, 2019)
Overview of the Conflict:
The fear of crime is palpable in the Dominican Republic. In 2012, 65% of the population reported feeling less secure than they did five years ago. Crime statistics validate that the fear is justified. Homicide rates in the Dominican Republic have almost doubled from 2002 to 2012, from 14 to 24 per 100,000 people, making it the fourth most violent country in the Caribbean.
Objectives of USAID's Crime Prevention Program:
Decrease the vulnerability of at-risk youth by keeping them in or reinserting them into school, as well as helping them to find gainful employment through vocational education in sectors projected to grow in the Dominican economy.
Who receives the aid?
Crime prevention will be geographically focused in the corridor that goes from Santo Domingo north to Puerto Plata. It includes six of the nation’s 32 provinces where 63 percent of youths live. The cities where crime is the highest in the Dominican Republic are all located within this corridor.
The Aid program focused their treatment in two sectors:
Education Initiative:
- Collaboration with the Ministry of Education and other donors to expand the Effective Schools Program (ESP) for primary school students.
- Support for supplemental reading programs in targeted neighborhoods to enhance basic reading skills.
- Strengthen planning and teacher training capacity, and support for civil society and private sector organizations advocating for education reform.
Criminal Justice System Reform:
- Strengthening key criminal justice institutions to improve response to criminal activity, respect citizens' rights, collect evidence, conduct quality investigations, and prosecute criminal cases successfully.
- Provision of training and technical assistance to enhance transparency, accountability, professionalism, and overall institutional capacity of the Government of the Dominican Republic Office of the Attorney General and the National Police.
Results of the aid program:
- The year before the aid program started (2013) showed the lowest number of young people arrested for committing a crime, with 1,112 arrested. In 2019 (the year the aid program ended), 1,715 adolescents were arrested.
- Data from the National Statistics Office (2019) reveal that 20.4% of those under 19 years are mothers, above the 18% in Latin America and the Caribbean.
- 52% of the people below age 30, had their first kid between 16-20 years.
- 18% percent of young people stop studying because of pregnancy.
- 21% of young people stop studying because of economic purposes.
- Surveys conducted by the Americas Barometer in the Dominican Republic revealed that from 2014 to 2019, one in four Dominicans reported that they were victims of at least one crime.
- During the 2018-2019 period, almost half of those surveyed indicated that crime and insecurity were among the most serious problems in the country.
Structure Problems with the Aid program:
- The aid program lacked control and treatment groups. Distributing the treatment across the most densely populated provinces in the country was not the most effective approach for implementing the program. Concentrating efforts on a single province with established groups would have enabled USAID to better assess program efficacy before expanding to other provinces.
- USAID should have leveraged the Department of the Interior (DOI) to deter youth crime involvement and reduce crime rates in targeted areas. Given the DOI's poor expertise and statistical support, it's clear that reform within the department was necessary. USAID should have collaborated more with the DOI to initiate reform efforts and capacity-building programs for its officials. This strategic approach would have helped achieve USAID's objectives by enhancing DOI capabilities in crime prevention, thereby hampering criminal organizations' recruitment efforts. Furthermore, this strategy would have had enduring effects, as the DOI could have sustained systematic crime prosecution beyond the conclusion of USAID's program.
- USAID should have undertaken a more thorough approach to data collection, while simultaneously supporting the development of local data collection organizations within the country. Mildred Martínez, Director of Demographic, Social, and Environmental Statistics at the National Statistics Office (ONE), underscores significant challenges in enhancing the production of statistical information concerning adolescents in conflict with the law. Additionally, she emphasizes the necessity for improved coordination among relevant institutions, as current statistics are hindered by insufficient coverage.
- With a more proactive approach to data collection, USAID could have not only adjusted their interventions based on the insights from the data but also fostered enduring improvements in data collection practices for organizations in the Dominican Republic.
Factors USAID should have been included in the aid of the program:
- USAID fell short in facilitating the integration of adolescents into the workforce. While the program primarily focused on enhancing literacy skills and organizing educational initiatives, greater emphasis should have been placed on connecting them with potential job opportunities. Here are some actions USAID could have taken to introduce adolescents to the workforce:
- Collaborate with local provincial governments to host workshops with various businesses and professionals in the area, providing students with exposure to diverse career paths upon graduation.
- Integrate technical courses into their school programs, catering to students who may not pursue higher education. These courses could focus on areas such as technology, telecommunications, and electrical engineering, offering students practical skills relevant to the job market.
- Partner with the Ministry of Labor to secure internships and capacitation workshops for students, particularly those in their final years of high school. This would enable students to gain valuable work experience and industry exposure, enhancing their prospects of securing employment after completing secondary education.
Conclusion:
Reducing crime is not a task that can be accomplished overnight or with a single solution; rather, it is a complex, ongoing challenge that spans generations. Therefore, any assistance program aimed at addressing crime within a country must integrate efforts to collaborate with local and governmental organizations. By actively involving these entities in the fight against crime, they can gain valuable insights into diverse methodologies and strategies essential for effective crime prevention.
Moreover, advancements in crucial areas such as data collection, police training, and reforms within the Department of Investigation (DOI) will yield ripple effects across various government and local institutions.
References:
https://www.one.gob.do/noticias/2021/la-posesion-de-drogas-y-el-robo-son-los-principales-delitos-que-cometen-los-adolescentes-en-el-pais/#:~:text=Santo%20Domingo%2C%2006%20de%20julio,robos%20las%20dos%20principales%20imputaciones
https://www.one.gob.do/publicaciones/2022/encuesta-nacional-de-hogares-de-propositos-multiples-enhogar-mics-2019-informe-general/
https://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/2022-05/CDCS-DOMINICAN_REPUBLIC-English.pdf
https://www.elcaribe.com.do/destacado/mas-de-un-tercio-no-confia-en-la-policia-revela-estudio/
https://2017-2020.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/documents/1862/CDCS_Dominican_Republic_August_2019_updated20212.pdf
https://www.oas.org/ext/DesktopModules/MVC/OASDnnModules/Views/Item/Download.aspx?type=1&id=574&lang=1
https://listindiario.com/la-republica/2020/11/09/643256/entre-2015-y-2020-se-han-incautado-mas-de-87-toneladas-de-drogas-y-sustancias-controladas.html
References:
https://www.one.gob.do/noticias/2021/la-posesion-de-drogas-y-el-robo-son-los-principales-delitos-que-cometen-los-adolescentes-en-el-pais/#:~:text=Santo%20Domingo%2C%2006%20de%20julio,robos%20las%20dos%20principales%20imputaciones
https://www.one.gob.do/publicaciones/2022/encuesta-nacional-de-hogares-de-propositos-multiples-enhogar-mics-2019-informe-general/
https://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/2022-05/CDCS-DOMINICAN_REPUBLIC-English.pdf
https://www.elcaribe.com.do/destacado/mas-de-un-tercio-no-confia-en-la-policia-revela-estudio/
https://www.diariolibre.com/actualidad/nacional/2023/07/09/la-tasa-de-analfabetismo-pasa-de-55-a-65/2398980
https://2017-2020.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/documents/1862/CDCS_Dominican_Republic_August_2019_updated20212.pdf
https://www.oas.org/ext/DesktopModules/MVC/OASDnnModules/Views/Item/Download.aspx?type=1&id=574&lang=1
https://listindiario.com/la-republica/2020/11/09/643256/entre-2015-y-2020-se-han-incautado-mas-de-87-toneladas-de-drogas-y-sustancias-controladas.html