Research project B2/202/P2/IIHA (Research action B2)
IIHA is a two-year project funded by BELSPO to support the conservation of justice data in order to promote their scientific, historical and statistical exploitation. This project, whose acronym refers to recidivism ("It Is Happening Again"), intends to exploit two "historical" datasets from the Central Criminal Record (database on convictions) and from prisons (database on detention) in order to develop knowledge on recidivism and criminal careers in Belgium, through the development of computer tools.
The project will have four main objectives.
1) Document the two databases. This much needed documentation, which is virtually non-existent at this time, will help guide research based on these databases over the long term;
2) Develop an integrated database to enable criminological analyses of recidivism and criminal careers. A particular challenge will be to create links between the two datasets involved;
3) Conduct multiple analyses on recidivism and criminal careers;
4) Continue to examine the feasibility of developing and implementing a computer module to measure and track recidivism (also sometimes referred to as a 'recidivism monitor').
The results of this project will benefit not only the scientific community, political representatives and criminal justice practitioners such as judges, prosecutors, lawyers and prison and probation staff but also the general public (e.g., students, media).
The members of the research team will carry out their tasks in consultation with the various departments of the FPS Justice that work daily with the databases concerned.
