2022 Award "Best Practice in Citizen Participation"
16th Edition
Mashhad : Reducing and controlling urban crime through citizen participation in informal dispute resolution processes
The city of Mashhad is more than a thousand years old, has a religious and pilgrimage identity, and about 20 million pilgrims and tourists visit this city every year. In addition, immigration to this city has led to ethnic and even national diversity. Cultural differences and the lack of a dominant culture on the one hand and the influx of non-indigenous cultures on the other hand and the unfamiliarity of immigrants and even some citizens with citizenship laws and rights have caused many challenges to the spread of urban violations and conflicts.
In addition, in some low-income urban areas, due to the high population density (which in some neighborhoods is up to four times the city average) we see an increase in urban crimes and violations, and as a result, more referrals cases to law enforcement and the judiciary.
This project has three goals: reducing and controlling urban crime by strengthening restorative approaches in urban management and local community, empowering neighbourhood solidarity and social interactions and involving residents in resolving conflicts and disputes, and regulating the implementation of urban laws and regulations to facilitate citizens' affairs and reduction of ongoing violations.
The usual procedure for dealing with these violations is judicial proceedings, and the offender faces fines and penalties that generally have a little deterrent effect, after receiving warnings that cause citizen dissatisfaction. In addition, in these processes, women and young people generally suffer a lot of harm when going to court or imposing punishments such as imprisonment. In order to prevent these damages, instead of dealing judicially with those who commit violations in the field of municipal activities, the case is referred to these councils that formed by citizen, and the council tries to investigate the dimensions of the issue and the context of the violation and try to resolve the case without undermining the rights of others citizens.
This approach pays attention to regulation to reduce violations and crimes and to improve the conditions for enforcing laws to respect civil rights and social justice. For example, in the case of pedestrian interference, so far any small violation has been accompanied by a warning and in case of repetition by enforcing the law and even collecting the citizen's property. However, in this approach, efforts are made to apply the law, according to the environmental conditions and where the roadblock has really been done, and in the methods of law enforcement, penalties that help restore the damage would be used. Currently, more than 50% of referral cases end in case settlement and reconciliation and do not require referral to the judiciary. In addition, the reform of some methods of law enforcement in the municipality towards the offenders and paying attention to the conditions governing the violation, has caused the satisfaction of citizens as well as municipal staff.
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