This two volume publication contains the research reports and summaries of seminars held in the framework of the perennial project of predicting the state of law enforcement system in the 21st century and to prepare for it.
The project was initiated by the Office of the Chief Scientist in the Ministry of Public Security (former Ministry of Police) and carried out in cooperation with the Neaman Institute at the Technion and with the Jerusalem Center for Public and State Affairs which joined the project at a later stage and was a source of motivation and strength for the team. This threefold effort was meant to predict the shape of Israel’s society, with its different aspects, and to infer the significance and implications deriving from the predictions on the law enforcement system. The purpose of this is to enable the system to prepare for the predicted future and face the challenges and problems expected in the society of the future in a better way.
The research was guided by a small steering committee comprising:
Representatives of the Ministry of Public Security: Prof. Israel Barak and Mrs. Idit Hakimi.
Representatives of the Neaman Institute: Prof. Dani Weihs and Mr. David Kohn.
Representatives of the Jerusalem Center for Public and State Affairs: Mr. Zvi Marom and Mrs. Haya Hershkowitz.
In the framework of the research senior and expert researchers from different fields, chosen by the steering committee, were asked to present, each in his own field, their expected forecasts for the first quarter of the next century, based on alternative basic assumptions and scenarios to be determined by them in advance.
Further to future forecasting the researchers were asked to refer, as far as possible, and in a pointed and focused way, to the aspects which may have bearing on the area of law enforcement.
In summation, a team of criminologists was set up and asked to integrate the different reports and choose their relevant significance to the area of law enforcement. The team also examined the trends taking shape in society in the area of crime and law enforcement, with a view to future forecasting in the area.
The analyses and forecasts performed in the framework of this project are intended to serve the system in formulating recommendations and make decisions towards preparing the law enforcement system, and its various agencies, to deal with future social reality and with the crime, deviation and law enforcement scene to take shape in the future.
In addition to writing the reports and in order to expand and deepen the discussion of the chosen subjects, a number of seminars were held during the research, in selected target areas, with the participation of senior researchers, members of the law enforcement system and professional experts from various fields. The participants exchanged views and discussed in depth analyses and interpretations in the research reports as well as the applicable significance stemming from these analyses.
