Imagine a young delinquent equipped with a virtual reality headset, finding himself face to face with an avatar representing him a few years older.
The person talks about his life to this older version of himself, and talks about his drug addiction, his debts or the time he spends with his delinquent friends. Then, she virtually travels back in time and comes face to face with an older version of herself, who gives her advice.
See the future in the face
According to some scientists, allowing people to talk to an older version of themselves for advice could help them make better choices in the present.
“If people care more about what will become of them later, we think they will be less likely to commit crimes in the present,” says Jean-Louis van Gelder, professor of criminology at Leiden University in The Netherlands. He is also director of the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Crime, Security and Law, Germany.
Van Gelder and other European researchers draw inspiration from the world of gambling to help young offenders understand the long-term consequences of their choices. Although the technology is still being tested, initial results indicate that these 3D virtual representations could help improve behaviors.
This is one of many techniques developed in Europe to prevent crime.
People who live in day-to-day survival mode are more likely to commit crimes or abuse drugs and alcohol. The reason is that these types of behavior provide immediate benefits, even if they are minimal. For these people, the heavy price to pay for their actions, such as a prison sentence, belongs to the distant future.
This short-sightedness can be the result of a rough or unpredictable upbringing, and an environment of delinquent friends or people setting bad examples, according to Van Gelder.
Shortsightedness and impulsiveness are often seen as relatively fixed features of character at the age of ten, and difficult to change. However, scientists are beginning to realize that these are things that can be worked on, which suggests the possibility of helping people to stop committing crimes.
self-advice
Mr Van Gelder tested virtual reality technology with 24 young offenders as part of an EU-funded research project, titled CRIMETIMEwhich will end in March 2024.
‘What’s interesting is that people usually give each other very good advice,’ said Van Gelder, who coordinates the six-year project, supported by the European Research Council. “People usually tell themselves to stop committing crimes, or advise themselves to have more discipline or look for work.”
Participants were asked about their behavior and attitudes during the week leading up to and following the session. The majority of them reported less dangerous or criminal behavior and a better awareness of what they will be like later after the session.
According to Mr. van Gelder, it is extremely difficult to change the behavior of individuals.
“The changes were minimal, but we saw a reduction in offences, which shows we’re on the right track,” he said. “So we are hopeful that having the person get advice from themselves will be more effective than if that advice comes from other people.”
The next step will be to develop a mobile app that will give participants the same type of experience and that they can use every day for several weeks.
“The more they exercise, the more specific their future self becomes,” Van Gelder said.
And the more connected they feel to their future, the more noticeable the impact on their behavior.
Develop deterrent equipment
An EU-funded project, entitled Cutting Crime Impact (CCI), which lasted three years and ended in late 2021, focused on finding more practical ways to prevent crime. The aim was in particular to make buildings, benches, bags, etc. more difficult to target for criminal acts.
‘Criminal reduction is truly possible by designing equipment appropriately,’ said Professor Caroline Davey, director of the Design Against Crime Solution Center at the University of Salford in Britain.
She coordinated the CCI project carried out in seven European countries: Estonia, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom.
Since the 1990s, thefts from homes and automobiles have decreased due to the design of more secure doors, windows and burglar alarms.
“We always try to encourage designers to think about the risks associated with their products,” Ms Davey said. “It’s not rocket science, we can quite easily predict what will attract criminals.”
For example, the back of a bench with enough openwork so that it is possible to pass two fingers through it and reach the pocket or the bag of the person seated will attract pickpockets. On the other hand, designing buildings in such a way that neighbors have a view of other dwellings deters burglaries.
Researchers have worked with Britain’s Greater Manchester Police to offer a crime prevention consultancy service to architects, planners and property developers.
“They highlight the risks in a particular neighborhood and advise them on how to reduce them,” Ms Davey said.
Police tips
Similar approaches have been developed within the framework of the CCI project, in collaboration with law enforcement agencies from most of the participating countries.
The police of Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, participated in the project. She says crime has dropped in Tondiraba Park, a large public space in the city, since it was redeveloped in conjunction with the police.
Kelly Miido, director of community policing in the Mustamäe-Kristiine district of Tallinn, said she and her colleagues had to work hard to get local authorities and city planners to think about the risks presented by their equipment in terms of safety and how to eliminate them.
“We had to constantly remind planners that we wanted to be part of the process,” Ms. Miido said.
Today, city planners and local authorities call on his team for design advice.
“They have found that by involving us they have fewer long-term problems,” added Ms. Miido.
Before the redevelopment, the local police had to send a patrol to the park every day during the summer. Now they are called two or three times a week.
Local information
According to Ms. Davey, who coordinated the CCI project, one of the main results achieved is the organization of a handover during the reassignment of municipal police officers.
These patrollers, who walk the streets and get to know the locals, play an important role in crime prevention. As the inhabitants have the opportunity to discuss with them informally, these agents obtain a lot of information on the concerns and problems of the neighborhood, including in terms of social insecurity and radicalization.
“Neighborhood policing is important, but it often suffers from a lack of funding and recognition for the work done,” Ms Davey said.
This is reflected in the way agents can be reassigned without any handovers taking place. Relationships forged over the years with a community can be lost overnight.
“The community is not informed of the changes, and quite often the organizations the police work with, such as social services and schools, are also not kept up to date,” Ms Davey said. “This can have a significant impact on people’s trust in the police and ultimately on their quality of life.”
A handover system solves the problem relatively easily and inexpensively. This involves the reassigned officer and his replacement walking around the neighborhood together and meeting key people.
“This involves a very human and important factor, namely the relationship that exists between the community police, the inhabitants and the local organizations”, indicated Ms Davey.
This article was originally published inHorizonthe EU magazine dedicated to research and innovation.