Kyoto (Japan) Virtual, 21 June 2021– The Asian Criminological Society (ACS) Conference is an annual event bringing together academics, researchers, and policy makers to discuss the newest developments in the field of criminology. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the 2020 Conference was postponed to 18-21 June 2021.
The theme for the 12th Conference was “Crime and Punishment under Asian Cultures: Tradition and Innovation in Criminology”, with the participation of more than 200 experts during the 4-day event. Due to the success of the event, the recordings were available until 31 August 2021.
The UNODC-KOSTAT Centre of Excellence (CoE) hosted a session on “Measuring Crime for Evidence-based Policymaking: International Initiatives and Data-Driven Innovation”, with a presentation by Mr. Guilherme Dutra, Methodology Officer at the CoE, on how UNODC and Member States in the region use crime
statistics for evidence-based purposes. Mr. Dutra also moderated a discussion after presentations by Professor Dae-Hoon Kwak, Chungnam National University, Republic of Korea, Assistant Deputy Director Taekyun Kim, Statistics Korea (KOSTAT), Professor Koichi Hamai, Ryukoku University, Japan, and Professor Hiroshi Tsutomi, University of Shizuoka, Japan.
Professor Kwak and Assistant Deputy Director Kim delivered presentations on the development of the Korean version of the International Classification of Crime for Statistical Purposes, the KCCS, a concrete case of how the adoption of international standards for crime classifications can benefit Member States. Their presentations were followed by Professor Hamai on the challenges and misconceptions that can arise from the interpretation of crime data, with the example of recent and historical Japan crime policies. Finally, Professor Tsutomi presented a critical approach to the risk-needs-responsivity-model, one of the most used assessment models for the treatment of offenders.
The CoE will continue its engagement with the ACS and academics in the region, as part of its commitment to develop cutting-edge research and ensure that governments have access to the best practices for the production, collection, analysis and dissemination of crime statistics for policy purposes.
Further information on the UNODC-KOSTAT CoE can be found at here, Twitter @CoE_UNODC and Facebook @UNODC.KOSTAT.CoE.
