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A consortium of researchers, policymakers and practitioners has set up the project EPIC: Explaining, Preventing, and Intervening in organized Crime involvement, with support from the Dutch Research Agenda (NWA). The aim of this research is to effectively reduce the involvement of young people in serious and organized crime.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n The first phase of the project is completed. With support from NWA, the second phase of EPIC kicked off in March 2024 with five different empirical work packages (WP). This phase will run for four years and is currently in full swing.<\/p>\n Questions about EPIC? Please send an e-mail to epic@nscr.nl<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Would you like to stay up to date on our research projects and events? Sign up<\/a> for the EPIC newsletter (in Dutch). The overview below lists all newsletters sent to date, ordered chronologically from oldest to newest:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n In the first, completed, phase of EPIC, existing scientific knowledge about the risk and protective factors for entering serious and organized crime was examined (work package 1). Further, nationally and internationally, the available interventions were mapped out, along with what is known about their effectiveness in reducing young people\u2019s involvement in organized crime . To do so, both scientific knowledge (work package 2) and tacit knowledge (work package 3) were consulted.<\/p>\n Reference: Adamse, I., Eichelsheim, V., Blokland, A., & Schoonmade, L. (2024). The risk and protective factors for entering organized crime groups and their association with different entering mechanisms: A systematic review using ASReview.\u00a0European Journal of Criminology<\/em>.<\/p>\n Reference: Boertien, E., Nguyen, Q., Van Deuren, S., Eichelsheim, V., & Blokland, A. (2024). Interventions Aimed at Preventing and Reducing the Involvement of Young People in Organized Crime: A Systematic Literature Review.\u00a0Youth in Development.<\/em><\/p>\n In the first EPIC phase, the tacit knowledge about what works in interventions to prevent and reduce young people\u2019s involvement in serious and organized crime was examined. This is knowledge that is present in practice, but cannot yet be found in scientific literature. In order to provide the most complete picture possible, the plans of ‘Prevention with authority’ of eight municipalities were analysed, interviews were held with municipalities and police officers, and focus groups were held with young people and youth workers.<\/p>\n The second phase first of all involves quantitative research (work package 4) on the prevalence of young people’s exposure to serious and organized crime in the Netherlands (how many?<\/em>). This workpackage \u00a0also examines the various risk and protective factors that influence the involvement in, persistence in, and desistance from organized crime (who, where and under what circumstances?<\/em>). In particular, the role of criminal and social networks is examined.<\/p>\n In addition, the underlying mechanisms behind this involvement are explored through qualitative research methods (work package 5), including interviews with young people who are or have been involved in serious and organized crime, as well as analyses of criminal investigation files (why?<\/em>).<\/p>\n Finally, three research projects focus on evaluating and further developing (preventive) interventions through action research (workpackage 6) and on examining the effectiveness of interventions (workpackage \u00a07 and 8).<\/p>\n The research is \u00a0done in close collaboration with municipalities, practitioners, young people and parents.<\/p>\n An overview of the work packages: <\/strong>Who is examining what?<\/strong><\/p>\nMenu<\/span><\/h1>\n
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\nRead about the latest developments, upcoming meetings and the newsletter(s).<\/li>\n\n
\nAs a consortium, we work closely with various partners throughout the Netherlands.<\/li>\n
\nWould you like to know more about how young people get involved in organized crime and how we can effectively reduce their involvement? Please send your question to one of our researchers!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\nNe<\/strong><\/span>ws<\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n
Upcoming events<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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\n<\/strong>By invitation, at CCV- Centrum voor Criminologie en Veiligheid<\/a> in Utrecht.<\/li>\n
\n<\/strong>More information will follow.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nNewsletter (in Dutch)<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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\nPhase 1 of EPIC:
\nthe results<\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\nResults of the systematic literature review in work package 1: <\/strong><\/h2>\n
Risk and protective factors<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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\n<\/strong>Review 1: Risicofactoren en mechanismen om betrokken te raken bij georganiseerde criminaliteit<\/a> (pdf)<\/li>\n
\nThe risk and protective factors for entering organized crime groups and their association with different entering mechanisms: A systematic review using ASReview\u00a0<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\nResults of the systematic literature review in work package 2:<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Effective interventions in serious and organized crime<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Results of the survey for the available practical knowledge in work package 3:<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Tacit Knowledge<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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\nPhase 2 of EPIC<\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n
Phase 2 of EPIC: five empirical work-packages<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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