Welcome to the John Howard Society
of Sault Ste. Marie
What Causes Crime?
Crime has no one cause, however there are many things that increase the chances that a person will commit crime. These things, called "risk factors" are poverty, childhood abuse, unstable families, unemployment, low levels of education, lack of housing and addictions. The more "risk factors" a person has in their life, the greater the chances are that they will commit crime.
How Can We Prevent Crime?
The only way to prevent crime is to eliminate the risk factors that increase a person's chance of committing crime. It also means preventing kids from dropping out of school, providing support for troubled families, funding alcohol and drug treatment centres and anger management programs.
Is Crime Prevention Expensive? Can We Afford It?
- Crime prevention is not expensive and yes we can afford it
- Effective crime prevention happens within the community
- A good crime prevention plan needs long and short-term goals to bring together people from all walks of life and all segments of the community
- For a crime prevention plan to work, it needs to be supported by the whole community
Click here to view our Annual Report for 2007/2008
