UNDERSTANDING RISK AND PROTECTIVE FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH CRIMINAL INVOLVEMENT IN A MULTICULTURAL SOCIETY

Abstract

This study examined risk and protective factors associated with the criminal involvement of some members of the ethnocultural community. Results from ten focus groups comprised of diverse ethnocultural community members, law enforcement personnel, and service providers in four centres in Alberta revealed multiple, complex criminological risk factors related to home country experience, acculturation, strains in community interactions, socioeconomic disparity, negative media influence, and interaction with the criminal justice system. They also highlighted a number of protective factors that have prevented criminal involvement of ethnocultural community members, including family support, the strengths of ethnocultural communities, community engagement and civic participation, and access to social services. Insights from the focus groups served as the basis for a theoretical discussion and recommendations for crime prevention in a multicultural society.