Malcolm Wiener Center for Social Policy
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Home > Research & Publications > Measuring the Performance of Criminal Justice Systems > Indicators in Development: Safety and Justice > Annual Workshops
Annual Workshops
Each year, with support from the UK Department for International Development (DFID), the Program in Criminal Justice Policy and Management convenes a workshop at Harvard on 'the design and use of indicators of justice and safety in developing countries.'
The workshop is part of a larger program on indicators supported by DFID and the Australian Government’s Overseas Aid Program. It brings together government officials and civil society leaders from countries around the world along with experts and officials in international development agencies to discuss the role of indicators in the service of justice sector reform locally, nationally, and globally.
Overview of 2012 Workshop
Which effects of development are most important to count, and what are the effects of trying to count them? How can you promote 'ownership' of indicators by national governments without privileging the opinions of a small group of individuals? Can the indicators that count these effects capture the true “voices of the poor” or do they only record a faint echo? What might an MDG for justice and safety look like, and how would it affect the field of indicator development?
These questions and other important challenges of indicator development were the focus of five panel discussions that shaped this year’s Conference on Indicators of Safety and Justice at Harvard University.
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Who Owns Indicators?
Are we witnessing a 'little revolution' in the field of international indicators today? Is there a greater interest now in a 'bottom-up approach' to indicators as a result of ... more -
Surveys of the Population and Voices of the Poor
Surveys of the population may be a good way to capture the voices of the poor, suggested several participants, but they "are not a panacea.” Some international surveys capture ...more -
A New Millenium Development Goal?
The possibility than the 'high level panel' advising the UN Secretary General on the future of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) might propose ...more -
Seeing Society through Indicators
Indicators of justice must do more than describe the 'operational characteristics' of agencies administering criminal justice, said Bruce Western, Director of the Wiener Center on Social Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, in opening remarks to the conference. Indicators must help you ...more
History
To learn more about the previous workshops held including overviews, working papers, agendas, participant lists, and/or photos from these sessions, please use the links at left which archive information by year, from 2008 onward. A brief synopsis of the past few years is below:
In October, 2012 challenges of indicator development were the focus of five panel discussions that shaped this conference. We also welcomed participants from Ethiopia to this annual event.
In September, 2011 the workshop reviewed the results of a second round of indicator development from teams in Jamaica, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Papua New Guinea, and Bangladesh.
In October, 2010 participants presented a series of prototype indicators on police effectiveness, the duration of pretrial detention, and residents’ sense of safety. Panel discussions addressed the role of multi-agency indicators, indicators for customary justice systems, and the role of civil society organizations in indicator development.
Additional Information
Click on the links at left for more information or contact the Program in Criminal Justice Policy and Management (or click on About > Contact Us at the top of this page).
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