By Violence Policy Center

   Since the mid-1960s, self-defense has been the foundational argument used by the gun industry to sell firearms, primarily handguns, in the United States. In this effort, gunmakers have been aided by the gun lobby, most notably the National Rifle Association of America (NRA). Firearms are promoted as risk-free tools necessary for the defense of self and family from myriad threats, most frequently an attack by a stranger. Never acknowledged is the demonstrable fact that guns are rarely used to kill criminals or stop crimes, and that most homicides occur between people who know one another. Also missing from this false and simplistic narrative is the reality of the trauma, legal and financial risk, and long-term emotional repercussions that can come with the act of taking another human life. Historically, the primary demographic targeted by the gun industry has been white males. This is now changing as the result of the fact that this traditional customer base is aging while gunmakers, to paraphrase a tobacco industry term, have failed to recruit a sufficient number of ‘replacement shooters’ to fill their thinning ranks. As a result, household and individual gun ownership over the past few decades in the United States have declined significantly and remain relatively stagnant.3 While children and women have been the default targets of the industry in the wake of stagnation of the white male market, there has also been a growing campaign to market guns to minority groups in America, primarily for self-defense. Latino and Black    Americans have been the primary focus of these efforts. This has begun to shift in the wake of high-profile racist attacks on members of the Asian American/Pacific Islander (AAPI) community, including a mass shooting in Atlanta, Georgia, during the COVID-19 pandemic. As an April 2021 Pew Research survey found, “Amid widespread reports of discrimination and violence against Asian Americans during the coronavirus outbreak, 32% percent of Asian adults say they have feared someone might threaten or physically attack them – a greater share than other racial or ethnic groups. The vast majority of Asian adults (81%) also say violence against them is increasing, far surpassing the share of all U.S. adults (56%) who say the same....”4Seeing an opportunity to exploit the fear spurred by these horrific attacks, the firearms industry has moved swiftly to expand its efforts targeting the AAPI community

Washington DC: Violence  Policy Center, 2021.26p.

By Brice Terpstra, Michael D. White,  Aili Malm

Over the last few years, thousands of law enforcement agencies in the United States have adopted body-worn cameras (BWCs), and they have subsequently had to deal with the tremendous amount of digital evidence generated by the technology. Digital evidence management (DEM) is the process by which an agency manages, stores, shares, and integrates the data generated by BWCs and other imaging devices (e.g., dashboard cameras, license plate readers (LPRs), cell phones). Addressing DEM is a critical feature of a successful BWC program.

To explore how agencies handle DEM, Arizona State University (ASU) conducted an online survey of agencies receiving federal funding for BWCs through the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) BWC Policy and Implementation Program (BWCPIP). ASU asked the agencies approximately 30 questions related to DEM, including questions about basic program management, internal use of footage, external sharing of footage, challenges, and future developments. In the first edition of this report published in 2022 (accessible here), ASU presented results from 68 agencies that completed the survey. This second edition of the report includes results from an additional 22 agencies, for a total sample of 90. The primary findings are as follows:

• Most responding agencies routinely monitor the flow of footage into their organization. Most of the agencies regularly track storage use (69 percent), uploads (60 percent), and activations (43 percent). Most responding agencies also have a process to review untagged footage (83 percent).

• More than half of agencies (56 percent) indicated that they have a specific BWC management unit. These units perform all BWC-related tasks, from camera assignments and maintenance to audits and redaction.

• Nearly all agencies use BWC footage to accomplish an internal objective, whether that be investigating uses of force and citizen complaints (99 percent), monitoring BWC use (i.e., activation compliance; 85 percent), or conducting performance evaluations (44 percent). More than one-quarter of agencies (29 percent) examine metadata to inform their BWC program.

• About three-quarters of responding agencies (74 percent) share BWC footage with the public. Among those that do, nearly all have a policy in place to govern that public release process.

• Most agencies also share the footage with external stakeholders, including city and county prosecutors, public defenders, private attorneys, and other law enforcement agencies. Agencies use several methods to share footage, including providing direct access to cloud storage, secure email links, and physical copies (USB devices). Sharing methods vary notably based on who is receiving the footage. Agencies generally reserve direct access to cloud storage for prosecutors (48 percent have provided access to their prosecutors).

• The primary DEM-related challenges are associated with costs, staffing, and resources (28 percent); storage and infrastructure (19 percent); and video redaction (13 percent). Agencies also identified these same issues as areas for future development. Most of the identified future developments were internally focused (i.e., things that the departments themselves can or should do to address challenges). Very few responding agencies mentioned future developments involving the vendors or others outside their agency.

Tempe: Arizona State University, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, California State University, Long Beach, 2024. 17p.

By Vincent Freigang and Maíra Martini

Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 ignited a global reckoning over the dangers of kleptocracy and the international community’s decades-long complicity. The initial response of the advanced Western economies was to unleash new waves of targeted sanctions against Kremlin-linked individuals. But denying safe haven to Russian kleptocrats calls for multilateral efforts, including tracking down the illicit wealth they have diligently hidden across the globe.

In a welcome step, several governments – primarily Western economies such as those making up the G7 – are now joining efforts to share intelligence and cooperate across borders as part of a dedicated task force. This study assesses how well countries leading multilateral efforts to freeze and seize kleptocrats’ assets are equipped to deliver on their objectives. The comparative analysis covers eight countries: Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Transparency International, 2022. 52p.

By Maíra Martini and Theo Van der Merwe

The decision of where to invest in real estate will depend on the stability and reliability of the real estate market in the country, as well as on the risks of having a dirty deal uncovered and punished. Not surprisingly, the corrupt and criminal favour stable markets with inadequate anti-money laundering laws and where anonymity is guaranteed.

Investigations show real estate data can be a powerful tool to detect potential money laundering and other criminal activities. Access to property-related data – such as legal and beneficial ownership, historical ownership data, value and dates of purchase – can go a long way towards exposing key red flags for authorities, journalists and activists.

In 2017, Transparency International published an analysis of anti-money laundering and corruption prevention mechanisms in the real estate sector in four key markets. The report – Doors wide open – identified ten main problems that have enabled corrupt individuals and other criminals to easily purchase luxurious properties anonymously and hide their stolen money in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States. Now, our new report analyses the availability of key real estate data in these four significant property markets.

The limited availability of real estate data and of beneficial ownership data, in particular, means that we still know very little about who owns properties, and whether they have been purchased with dirty money. This continues to be the case in the four markets – Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Transparency International Australia, 2020. 18p.

A call for civilian reserves in hybrid warfare

By Dan Svantesson

Australia’s cyber environment is under constant attack. The threats are multi-faceted and growing. Beyond the well-known cybercrime and cybersecurity challenges, we face a barrage of online mis- and dis-information aimed at undermining our social cohesion. Despite increased emphasis on the cyber domain, our existing public and private capacity is likely insufficient to counter the full range of threats we face in cyberspace.

Against this background, Australia must adopt a whole-of-society approach to the defence of the cyber environment. This discussion paper seeks to canvass options for an Australian ‘cyber intelligence and information militia’; that is, a ‘crowdsourced’ civilian volunteer cyber reserve capability fit to engage in open-source intelligence (OSINT) and information warfare. Such a resource could play an important role in supplementing existing or developing capabilities.

Canberra: Australian Capital Territory, Social Cyber Institute, 2024. 

By Jade McEwan, Rachel Carson, Rae Kaspiew, John De Maio, Briony Horsfall

The abuse of older people has devastating physical, emotional and social consequences for older Australians, their families and communities. At least one in six older Australians experience abuse, and that when abuse occurs, only around one third of victims seek help.

The key policy framework for tackling this abuse, the National plan to respond to the abuse of older Australians 2019-2023, was recommended in the Australian Law Reform Commission’s 2017 Elder abuse – a national legal response final report.

This independent evaluation finds that the National Plan is achieving its aims of uniting governments, agencies and organisations in tackling the abuse of older people.

The evaluation highlights a range of important achievements under the National Plan, including the delivery of Australia’s first National Elder Abuse prevalence Study, funding of innovative service responses, and a range of awareness raising initiatives.

Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS) , 2024. 209p.

 By Europol’s European Migrant Smuggling Centre (EMSC)

  Migrant smuggling and trafficking in human beings (THB) pose a serious threat to the EU’s security, as well as to the irregular migrants and THB victims involved. Both crime areas are embedded in the broader serious and organised crime environment, with criminals taking advantage of existing infrastructures and engaging in multiple illegal activities. The criminals involved in these crime areas constantly adapt their methods to maximise profits and evade law enforcement. Geopolitical events, economic and social crises, as well as the digital environment, have provided new opportunities for criminals to exploit. Against the backdrop of irregular migration at EU’s external borders reaching in 2023 the highest levels since 2016, Europol’s European Migrant Smuggling Centre (EMSC) is at the forefront of the EU’s fight against migrant smuggling, supporting EU Member States in disrupting the criminal networks that orchestrate this form of organised crime. The EMSC also continues to stand together with law enforcement in EU Member States to combat the criminal exploitation of vulnerable people for the purpose of economic gain. The EMSC’s mandate is first and foremost to provide operational support to cross-border investigations in the Member States, but also to deliver expertise and resources, as well as a platform for the swift and safe exchange of information. The successful operations supported by the EMSC reflect the pivotal role played by law enforcement authorities in the Member States in sharing information and initiating cross-border investigations, as well as the importance of joining efforts at EU level and beyond, to disrupt criminal networks active in migrant smuggling and THB.  

Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union;, 2024. 15p.

By Michael Ostermann, Nathan W. Link, Jordan M. Hyatt

Legal financial obligations (LFOs) associated with justice system involvement are increasingly a focus for policymakers and researchers seeking to understand sources of inequality and the factors that promote successful reentry. These conversations often rely on an assumption that LFOs are associated with or may even drive higher rates of recidivism. The empirical research in this area, however, has not kept up with the growing strength of these claims. This study reports findings that may offer a new perspective and contribute to an evidence-based debate. Multi Sourced administrative data on all individuals released from carceral supervision in an East Coast state (N = 21,301) over 3 years are used to examine the complex relationship between criminal justice debt and reoffending. We detail the results of survival analyses estimating the impact of these debts on various forms of recidivism. Broadly, we find that even though the relationship between case-level LFO assessments and future offending did not reach statistical significance, the association with the cumulative effect of monetary sanctions over the life course did. Furthermore, the impact of LFO debt is greater for certain racial groups, supporting theoretical and practical inquiries into factors informing structural disadvantage. Implications for policy and future research are considered.

Criminology, 

Volume62, Issue2

May 2024

Pages 331-363

By Robert J. Sampson, Roland Neil

Although racial disparities in criminal justice contact are long-standing and the subject of continuing public debate, few studies have linked early-life social conditions to racial disparities in arrest over the life course and in changing times. In this article, we advance and test a theoretical model of racial inequality in long-term arrest histories on a representative sample of nearly 1,000 individuals from multiple birth cohorts in the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods. Large Black–White disparities in arrests from ages 10 to 40 arise from racial inequalities in exposure to cumulative childhood advantages and disadvantages rather than from race-specific effects. Smaller but meaningful Hispanic–White gaps follow a similar pattern, and the same explanations of racial disparities hold across different offense types and across birth cohorts who came of age at different times during 1995 to 2021. These findings indicate that inequalities in early-life structural factors, which themselves are historically shaped, trigger processes of cumulative advantage and disadvantage that produce racial disparities in arrests over the life course and that persist across different points in contemporary history.

Criminology, Volume62, Issue2

May 2024

Pages 177-204

By Seena Fazel, Matthias Burghart, Achim Wolf, Daniel Whiting, and Rongqin Yu  

  To address the societal harms of violence, many violence prevention interventions have been developed, tested, and implemented in the general population. These have been reported in systematic reviews and meta-analyses, which have typically focused on one type of intervention or outcome. We aimed to provide a comprehensive overview of the current evidence regarding the effectiveness of different psychosocial interventions in reducing all forms of violence toward others. We have conducted an umbrella review of previous meta-analyses using standard approaches and converted findings on effectiveness into odds ratios. We tested for the underlying quality of the meta-analytic evidence by examining heterogeneity, excess statistical significance, prediction intervals, and small study effects. We identified 16 meta-analyses, including nine investigating psychosocial interventions, and five legislative and policy changes. Most meta-analyses reported positive effects of tested interventions. The strongest effects were found for sports-based initiatives, and the weakest for general population programs aimed at early childhood, youth development, and reducing sexual assault perpetration by men. Legislative changes had varying effectiveness. We conclude that simple, scalable, and cost-efficient programs, such as sport-based initiatives, have the clearest empirical support as population-based approaches to violence prevention.  

  TRAUMA, VIOLENCE, & ABUSE 2024, Vol. 25(2) 1709 –1718

By Brice J. Terpstra

The findings of this study on the role of military service in the lives of justice-involved military veterans suggest that the role of military service is nuanced and that for many veterans the military directly impacted both deviance and mental health outcomes. Further, emotionality of these veterans is quite variant over time, while social togetherness and engagement in activity show to be impactful on emotional well-being. Overall, this research expands the understanding of the role of military service in the life-course and provides an in-depth look into the daily and life-course experiences of justice-involved veterans, ultimately giving voice to the veterans themselves to articulate their own experiences and needs. This study explores the life-course experiences of justice-involved veterans in three separate, yet interconnected ways: (1) trajectories of deviance across the life-course and the impact of military service on deviance; (2) the relationships between military service, mental health, and negative life-course outcomes; and (3) the daily experiences of justice-involved veterans, including who they spend time with, what they spend time doing, and how these factors impact emotion. This work is one of the few to utilize qualitative inquiry to better understand the relationship between military service and trajectories of deviance for justice-involved veterans, and is the first to use ecological momentary assessment (EMA) methodology to examine the daily experiences of justice-involved veterans.

Tempe, AZ: Arizona State University, 2024. 215p.

By Terra Wiens 

  The devastation homicide inflicts on Black teens and adults is an ongoing national crisis, yet it is all too often ignored outside of affected communities. This study examines the issue of Black homicide victimization by analyzing 2022 WISQARS mortality data1 from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Supplementary Homicide Report (SHR) data submitted to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). This analysis offers national and state data, ranks the states by their Black homicide victimization rates, and offers additional information on the 10 states with the highest rates. Previous versions of this report used exclusively FBI SHR data to describe Black homicide victimization. In January of 2021, the FBI changed the way crime data are collected in the United States, which negatively impacted the reliability of such data from some states. As a result of the incomplete nature of state-by-state SHR crime data for 2022, using this data for ranking the states is not possible. In order to continue examining state-specific Black homicide victimization rates and offering state rankings, this report utilizes CDC WISQARS data to describe victim demographics and weapons used at both the national level and the state level for the 10 states with the highest Black homicide victimization rates. To offer further detail on Black homicide victimization in the United States, FBI SHR data are used to describe the victim and offender relationship and homicide circumstances at the national level. The Violence Policy Center hopes that at some point in the near future FBI crime data will once again be sufficiently robust to allow for a more complete analysis of the data.  

Washington, DC: Violence Policy Center  2024. 24p.

By Romi Sigsworth

Summary   Artificial intelligence (AI) offers innovative solutions for addressing a range of illegal activities that impact Africa’s environment. This report explores how AI is being used in Africa to provide intelligence on organised environmental crime, craft tools to assess its impact, and develop methods to detect and prevent environmental criminal activities. It discusses the challenges and opportunities AI poses for policing environmental crime in Africa, and proposes recommendations that would allow AI-powered policing to make a real difference on the continent. Recommendations • African governments and organisations should invest in gathering large, local data sets to allow AI models to produce appropriate and relevant solutions. • Investments in digital and communication infrastructure need to be made across Africa to improve and expand access to and affordability of AI solutions. • Police forces across Africa should include technology and AI skills capacity building into their basic and professional development training curricula. • Guardrails should be established through legislation to protect data, ensure privacy where necessary, and regulate the use of AI. • Public-private partnerships must be strengthened for law enforcement agencies across Africa to receive the technology and training they need to effectively embed AI tools into Research Paper their methodologies to combat environmental (and other) organised crime. 

ENACT Africa, 2024. 29[p.

By EUROPOL

 Europol’s Internet Organised Crime Threat Assessment (IOCTA) 2024, the most comprehensive yearly analysis of the latest threats posed by cybercrime in the EU. This edition marks 10 years since the release of Europol’s first IOCTA. Throughout this time, the threats posed by cybercrime have evolved dynamically in terms of volume, intensity and harm potential. The number of cybercriminals entering the market continued to grow steadily, thanks to the adoption of new technologies as well as the increasing complexity of digital infrastructures, which expands the potential attack surface. In 2023, millions of victims across the EU were attacked and exploited online on a daily basis. Small and medium businesses were increasingly popular targets for cyber-attacks, while e-merchants experienced the most digital skimming attacks. Adults were victimised through phishing, investment and romance frauds, and more and more minors were targeted by child sexual exploitation offenders and online sexual extorters. In parallel, a number of worldwide law enforcement actions shook the cybercriminal underground through continued arrests of ransomware affiliates IOCTA 2024 and operators. Law enforcement also carried out coordinated disruption operations against cybercriminals’ digital infrastructures. Notwithstanding the growing presence of law enforcement in the dark web, this environment continues to function as an enabler for cybercrime, allowing offenders to share knowledge, tools and services in a more concealed way. In addition, the use of cryptocurrencies in a wider variety of crime areas has become more noticeable in 2023, alongside the growing number of requests for investigative support in cryptocurrency tracing received by Europol. Cybercriminals are keen to leverage Artificial Intelligence, which is already becoming a common component in their toolbox and is very likely to see even wider application. Law enforcement agencies are expected to build a robust capacity to counter the growing threats stemming from this, both in terms of human resources and technical skills. An additional concerning aspect of cybercrime is the young age of the offenders. As cybercriminals appear to be in many cases underage, a greater focus on offender prevention could discourage young people from entering a criminal career.

  The Hague: European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation, 2024  38p.

By Pip McKnight, Jenny Phillimore and Dawn River with support from Rainbow Migration 

  Over the past six years, the SEREDA (Sexual and gender-based violence in the refugee crisis: from displacement to arrival) project has been examining the experiences and incidents of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) across the forced migration journey. Initial findings from SEREDA suggested that LGBTQI+ people who seek asylum face incidents of and vulnerability to SGBV that are distinct from heterosexual and cisgender populations, including in countries of sanctuary seemingly accepting of sexual and gender diversity. This project aimed to build on the initial findings of SEREDA to gain a more complete understanding of the current situation in the UK. Against an international backdrop of increasingly draconian anti-LGBTQI+ laws fuelled by fundamentalist religious and right-wing groups, this research sought to examine the experiences of queer people seeking asylum in the UK.  

Birmingham, UK: University of Birmingham and Rainbow Migration,2024. 28p.

 by Katy Swaine Williams with assistance from Jon Collins and Cassie Edmiston  

   This small study confirms that undertaking education, employment and other purposeful activity in prison is of fundamental importance for young women (aged 18–24) during their imprisonment and after their release. While in prison, having access to the right opportunities can offer satisfaction and a sense of pride and achievement; it can provide a distraction from worries and a valuable sense of purpose. Physical activity, including use of the gym, and purposeful social interaction are particularly valued. Education, employment and other purposeful activities for young women in prison can also help young women to envisage a positive future after their release and offer a practical stepping stone towards further study, employment, or simply development of a hobby that is beneficial to their wellbeing. Conversely, where young women in prison are denied opportunities for education or employment which they value, or indeed other purposeful or socially interactive activity, this is likely to be severely detrimental. The histories of several young women who took part in this study included childhood trauma, domestic abuse – including coercive control – and exploitation, which had had a direct impact on their engagement with education. Some of the young women identified lack of access to mental health assessment and support as a key barrier to their engagement in activities and overall well being, and a cloud over their present and future. Some complained they could not access education and work opportunities in prison until they had undertaken their Maths and English Level 1, which felt to them like an arbitrary barrier. Several women found inactivity and excessive time in their cell very difficult to cope with and wanted more opportunities for purposeful activity and social interaction, including through team sports. Others described the satisfaction they gained from purposeful activity in prison, including work. Each of the participants described past achievements in education, employment and family life of which they were proud, and aspirations for the future as well as worries and fears. Through this study we aim to help inform improvements to ensure that every young woman can experience the benefits of education, employment and other purposeful activity while in prison. We hope it will also be of interest to education providers in the community. We urge the Ministry of Justice to renew its efforts to develop a Young Women’s Strategy, to do so through co-production with young women, and to include a distinct focus on education, employment and other purposeful activity. The aim should be to develop tailored support which is gender-specific, age-specific, and is accessible to all young women – including Black, minority ethnic and migrant young women.  

London: Prisoners Education Trust, 2024. 38p.

By Lauren Smith

  The current research was commissioned by the Commission on Crime and Gambling Related Harms in response to a lack of existing literature about the lived experiences of gambling and crime, particularly in England and Wales. The research sought to illuminate the following: • Early engagement in gambling and the escalation into crime; • Experiences of the criminal justice system; • How gambling and gambling related crime affects key relationships such as employment, social and family networks; • Whether, and how, interventions or treatments for gambling are sought or utilised; • The perspectives of people with lived experience of gambling and crime about what needs to happen in the future to aid prevention and better support people impacted by crime and gambling harm. Research and legislative context Gambling is prevalent across Great Britain with 24 per cent of people reporting gambling online in the past four weeks (Gambling Commission, 2021a). A variety of gambling methods are used, with online gambling becoming particularly dominant during more recent years. Disordered gambling is classified within the DSM-5 (American Psychiatric Association, 2013) as a mental health disorder and, more specifically, as maladaptive, behavioural addiction which leads to family, social, personal or recreational pursuits being compromised, disrupted or damaged by continuing the gambling behaviour (Delfrabbro, 2013). For some people, recreational gambling escalates into problem gambling, defined as gambling behaviour that creates negative consequences for the gambler or those around them (Ferris and Wynne, 2001), or gambling addiction, defined as a progressive addiction. Gambling addiction is an impulse control disorder that has many psychological, physical and social repercussions (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Problem gambling has been linked to health and social problems, including suicide, homelessness, and other addictions (Lorains et al., 2011; Sharman et al., 2015; Petry, 2007). Within the current research there was some stigma around the phrase ‘problem gambling’, and therefore gambling harms was suggested instead (see also Saxton and Eberhardt, 2021). Gambling harms can extend beyond the individual, affecting families and the broader community (Langham et al, 2016).

Crimes committed by people experiencing gambling harms are typically, but not always, financial crimes, driven by an instrumental need to commit crime as a result of gambling harms (Turner et al., 2009). Prevalence rates of crime committed as a result of gambling are difficult to ascertain, with an estimated prevalence of problem gambling in prisons of 12 per cent, significantly higher than in the general population (May-Chahal, 2017). The government Department of Culture Media and Sport (DCMS) is responsible for gambling policy and legislative framework. The key legislation in the UK for gambling is the Gambling Act (2005) which is currently undergoing a review. The Gambling Commission, an executive non-departmental public body, regulates all commercial gambling in the UK and seeks to prevent gambling from being a source of crime and disorder, to ensure that gambling is conducted in a fair and open way, and to protect children and vulnerable people from being harmed by gambling.      

London: Howard League for Penal Reform, 2023. 93p.

 by Penal Reform Solutions   

This research was commissioned by the Commission on Crime and Gambling Related Harms in response to a lack of existing literature about the role and impact of gambling within prison, particularly in England and Wales. The research aims were: • To understand how gambling is conceptualised in prison by residents and staff. • To understand how gambling is experienced within the cultural context of a prison by residents and staff. • To understand the role of gambling in prison, both positive and negative. • To understand the impact of gambling in prison on residents, staff and affected others and the support needed to address associated harm. • To assess how aware staff and residents are of the role gambling plays within prison culture and its impact on the rehabilitative environment. This research examined how gambling was understood and experienced in prison through the lens of culture, and the impact gambling has on people, both inside and outside of prison. A range of qualitative methods were adopted to promote engagement. The findings of this research highlighted that gambling played a significant role within prison culture. The role of gambling generated a sense of meaning and stimulation, acting as a form of escapism from boredom and was perceived as a tool to aid survival. The impact and experience of gambling were dependent on the subculture the person belonged to and where they were positioned within the hierarchy of the prison. This report outlines key recommendations that aim to address the harms associated with gambling within prison. While the findings and recommendations based on this study may not be uniformly applicable to the whole male prison estate in England and Wales, it is hoped that this research will assist prisons in creating meaningful strategies, to address the issues relating to gambling in prison.   

London: Howard League for Penal Reform, 2023. 64p.

By  Heidi Beirich

  IN JUNE 2020, THE U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT announced that white supremacist terrorism is “a serious challenge for the global community.” That same conclusion has been reached by other American government agencies including the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the National Counterterrorism Center, as well as foreign security organizations such as Europol. DHS has specifically pointed to the propaganda pushed by the international white supremacist network Generation Identity, the subject of this report, as motivating white supremacist violence. At this point, it is well accepted that white supremacy is as significant a threat for generating mass casualty terrorist acts internationally as other forms of extremism. Yet, there is a double standard when it comes to how online platforms treat content produced by white supremacists compared to content by Islamic extremist groups like ISIS or Al-Qaeda. For the latter, deplatforming is the accepted and, actually, demanded strategy, one pushed by the American government, the Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism, and the major technology platforms. Not so for white supremacist groups. Enforcement of bans on these groups and their acolytes is much more haphazard, despite their proliferation of propaganda such as the Great Replacement, which similarly inspires terrorism and argues that white people are being genocided in their home countries. Groups that push this idea, in particular Generation Identity (GI), are rampant on Twitter and YouTube, even though such propaganda has inspired six mass attacks since October 2018. These included the mosque attacks in Christchurch, NZ, and attacks staged at two American synagogues, an El Paso Walmart, a synagogue in Halle, Germany, and two shisha bars in Hanau, Germany, where the shooter is believed to have been targeting Muslim immigrants. It would be inconceivable for social media platforms to allow ISIS propaganda to spread and grow unchecked, but that is exactly what is happening with Identitarianism (the ideology that underpins Generation Identity). Research by the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism (GPAHE) found 67 Twitter accounts for Generation Identity chapters in 14 countries with nearly 140,000 followers. Those numbers do not include the accounts of individual Identitarians, such as GI’s unofficial leader and head of the Austrian chapter Martin Sellner, who has nearly 40,000 followers on Twitter, or accounts for GI coordinated activity, like Defend Europe, which has 27,000 followers. GPAHE found 25 such accounts totaling more than 400,000 followers. (All data available on request.) On YouTube, GPAHE found at least 12 countries represented by 31 GI chapters with about 86,000 subscribers. These numbers do not include the large Identitarian presence of individuals like Sellner who has 69,000 subscribers, the hundreds of videos posted. by GI adherents, or the number of times Identitarian proponents have appeared on other channels. For example, Identitarians made frequent appearances on the American Renaissance channel (135,000 subscribers) until it was banned in June 2020. It is impossible to determine how quickly the material is proliferating because we have no comprehensive baseline data from prior years. However, even in the weeks leading up to publication, the accounts summarized in this report have gained followers. This analysis certainly undercounts the number of Identitarian accounts thriving on Twitter and YouTube. Disturbingly, these platforms push viewers toward similar content on Twitter and YouTube and toward even more extreme content on unregulated platforms such as Telegram. Because Identitarianism is very much a youth movement, Twitter and YouTube serve as important gateways to further radicalization of young white people, particularly males, into white supremacy. The growth in the number of white supremacists worldwide can be laid at the feet of tech companies who allow this material to thrive on their platforms. It is time for this to end.    

Montgomery, AL: Global Project Against Hate and Extremism, 2024. 22p.

By United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime

   Countries across the Near and Middle East have registered an escalation in both the scale and sophistication of drug trafficking operations over the past decade. The destabilizing risks posed by illicit drugs have become increasingly prominent on the regional agenda. Of particular concern for governments and societies across the region is the rising production, trafficking and consumption of amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS), in particular, tablets containing amphetamine sold under the name “captagon”, and methamphetamine. Iraq and neighbouring countries have documented a sharp increase in the trafficking and use of “captagon” over the past five years. “Captagon” seizures in Iraq increased by almost 3,380 per cent in Iraq from 2019 to 2023. Iraq reported the seizure of over 4.1 tons of “captagon” tablets between January and December 2023 alone. Seizures of amphetamine (mainly in the form of “captagon”) in the Near and Middle East doubled from 2020, reaching a record high of 86 tons in 2021. In parallel to “captagon” trafficking, a methamphetamine market is quickly developing in the Near and Middle East, as shown by a rise in seizures. UNODC research has found that Iraq is at risk of becoming an increasingly important node in the drug trafficking ecosystem spanning the Near and Middle East. Iraq lies near the intersection of a complex global drug trafficking ecosystem spanning Southwest Asia, Africa, and Europe, notably the Balkan and Southern routes associated with opiate smuggling from Afghanistan to Europe, through Southeastern Europe, and towards the Indian Ocean and Eastern Africa, including through the Arabian Peninsula. Within Iraq, drugs are trafficked along three key internal corridors, in the north, central and southern regions of the country. There are distinct territorial, ethnic, economic, and political factors and differentiated drug market dynamics connected to each route. The main categories of drugs trafficked through Iraq include opium, heroin, hashish and especially, methamphetamine and “captagon”. While Iraq is not necessarily the most affected country in the region in terms of volumes of drugs seized, there are risks that the situation could deteriorate if drug trafficking, in particular of methamphetamine and “captagon”, keeps intensifying. A particular challenge facing countries across the Near and Middle East are armed groups with cross-border affiliations and transborder economic interests. Alongside a recent history marked by armed conflict and corruption, this situation has contributed to cross-border trafficking.  

Vienna: United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime; 2024. 46p.