Social innovation, socially responsive design and social enterprise
Governments, businesses, local councils and the police should not only act to reduce the risk of crime impacting on their operations but also be involved in providing creative solutions, which may lead to social innovation that aims to reduce the incidence or adverse consequences of crime or lead to social enterprises that may reduce the likelihood of offending or re-offending through their activities.
As well as providing support to individuals, social enterprises can provide added value by creating products or businesses that give jobs to ex-convicts, the vulnerable and the homeless to avoid being involved in crime. They can also assist by being sustainable and tackling additional issues, such as skills gaps in communities.
By operating in a commercial environment, social enterprises can empower individuals with responsibility by bridging the gap of exclusion from their communities. Over the past few years, the government has favoured greater involvement for social enterprise in delivering services across the criminal justice system. The Ministry of Justice is developing processes so that they can use services that are delivered by social enterprises. Across the UK, local police, probation and prison services are supporting or working with social enterprises to tackle the causes of crime; this may be a fruitful area of investigation for future delivery of new ideas and innovations to tackle crime.
Strong information, networks and partnerships are key to producing suitable design proposals and delivery mechanisms. Furthermore, these must be underpinned by an understanding of the costs and savings of interventions and supported by a sustainable business plan that meets multiple ‘bottom line’ requirements.