Through an integrated approach that involves many disciplines (such as criminology, law, economics, statistics, sociology and psychology), Transcrime aims to:

• analyse crime phenomena trends, with particular attention to the local, national and transnational dimensions in which they expand;
• evaluate whether crime-reduction strategies work, and how well;
• identify solutions to improve the effectiveness and the efficiency of such strategies.

Transcrime has developed a matrix for the evaluation of the impact, efficiency and effectiveness of economic and organised crime reduction programmes. This matrix adapts the most widely used scientific methods, developed in the field of evaluation of crime prevention programmes, to the peculiarities of economic and organised crime.
It is an instrument that permits the monitoring and evaluation of the impact and process of specific programmes for the prevention of money laundering, corruption, fraud and other illegal activities concerning economic/organised crime.

Technical assistance

Transcrime provides technical assistance at a local, national and international level.
Technical assistance consists in advice and coordination services regarding legal, judicial and criminological matters.
In the international area, technical assistance is provided to Central and Eastern European countries. The conclusions and implications of the research policy on organised crime, money laundering, fraud, corruption, cybercrime and business security are used to contribute to international cooperation processes that involve countries in transition, while respecting their characteristics.
The Centre performs the following tasks:

• formulation of legislative reforms and their adaptation to legal, political and economic systems;
• planning the implementation of reforms;
• training of specialists in the field of justice, police and regulative agencies.

In the national and local area, technical support aims to increase the ability of authorities to promote effective interventions, which could be monitored and controlled over time. Technical assistance consists in sector studies, seminars for staff training, refresher courses and workshops to exchange local, national and foreign experiences.

Research areas

From the point of view of crime, the main areas in which Transcrime carries out research, evaluation and technical assistance at a local, national and international level, are (in alphabetical order):

• corruption;
• business crime;
• cybercrime;
• organised crime;
• disorder, insecurity and urban crime;
• migration and crime or "aiding and abetting illegal immigration" (ITA = favoreggiamento dell'immigrazione clandestina);
• fraud;
• child pornography;
• money laundering;
• terrorism;
• trafficking in human beings for the purpose of exploitation.

With regards crime-reduction strategies, the main areas in which Transcrime carries out research, evaluation and technical assistance at a local, national and international level, are (in alphabetical order):

• anti-money laundering;
• crime proofing;
• psycho-social prevention;
• situational crime prevention;
• seizure and confiscation of crime proceeds;
• business security;
• urban security.

A recently activated study sector deals with crime proofing of legislation and of products. It is a form of managing the criminal risk, which identifies and measures criminal opportunities that may be inadvertently created by legislation or by products, and suggests interventions to reduce such opportunities.