Chapter 3

Delinquency prevention
-Delinquency prevention efforts are considered by many to be
crucial to the development of a consistent and comprehensive
approach to the problem of youth crime and delinquency.
-Delinquency prevention is both a practical and cost-effective
means of reducing youth misbehavior.

Origin of delinquency prevention

The history of the prevention of juvenile delinquency is closely
tied to the history of juvenile justice. From the House of
Refuge, which opened in New York in 1825, to more
contemporary events, such as enactment of various statutes,
child saving organizations and lawmakers have had interest in
both the prevention and control of delinquency.
 Many faces of delinquency prevention
Preventing juvenile delinquency means many different things to many
different people. Programs or policing designed to prevent juvenile
delinquency can include arrest as part of an operation to address gang
problems, juvenile court sanction to a secure correctional facility or, in
extreme cases, a death penalty sentence.

Early stages of delinquency prevention

1. Home-Based Programs
In a supportive and loving home environment, parents care for their
children's health and general well-being, help instill in their children's
positive values such as honesty and respect for others, and nurture in
them pro-social behavior. One of the most important types of home-
based programs involves the provision of support for families.
2. Parenting Skills Programs
Another form of family support that has shown some success is
improving parenting skills. Although the main focus of parent training
programs is on the parents, many of these programs also involve children
with the aim of improving the parent-child bond.

3. Daycare Programs
Daycare services are available to children of working parents. In
addition to allowing parents to return to work, daycare affords children a
number of important benefits, including social interaction with other
children and stimulation of their cognitive, sensory, and motor control
skills.
4. Pre-School Programs
Pre-school programs differ from daycare programs al that pre-school is
geared more toward preparing children for school. Pre-school is typically
provided for children aged 3 to 5 years. These are the formative years of
brain development; more learning takes Place during this development stage
than at any other state over the life course. Low intelligence and school
failure are important risk factors for juvenile delinquency. Highly
structured, cognitive-based' preschool programs give young children a
positive start in life.

5. Primary School Programs

Schools are a critical social context for delinquency prevention efforts from
the early to the latter grades. Schools work to produce vibrant and
productive members of society. The school's role in preventing delinquency
in general differs from measures taken to make the school a safer place.
 Approaches in delinquency prevention
1. Mentoring Programs
Mentoring programs usually involve non-professional volunteers
spending time with young people at risk for delinquency or in danger of
dropping out of school. Mentors behave in a supportive, non-judgmental
manner while acting as role models. In recent years, there has been a
large increase in the number of mentoring programs.

2. School based program

Safety of students in early college and high school takes on a much
higher profile than in the early grades because of a larger number of
violent incidents in such schools. The role of schools in the prevention of
delinquency in the wider community remains prominent.
3. After-School Programs
Today, after-school programs include:
1. Childcare centers
2. Tutoring programs at School
3. Dance groups
4. Basketball leagues
5. Drop-in clubs
Because After-school programs are voluntary, participants may be the
more motivated youngsters in a given population and the least likely to
engage in anti-social behavior.
4. Job-Training programs
Having a job means having money to pay for necessities as well as
leisure activities. Job training programs improve the chances of
obtaining jobs and thereby reduce delinquency.
5. Community-Based Programs
This includes analyzing the delinquency problem, identifying available
resources in the community, developing priority delinquency projects,
and identifying successful programs in other communities with the end in
view of tailoring them to local conditions and needs.
Strategies of delinquency prevention

1. General Deterrence
The general deterrence concept holds that the choice to commit a
delinquent -act is structured by the threat of punishment. One of the
guiding principles of deterrence theory is that the more severe, certain,
and swift the punishment, the greater the deterrence. Conversely, even a
mild sanction may deter crime if people believe punishment is certain.
2. Specific Deterrence
The theory of specific deterrence holds that if offenders are punished
severely, the experience will convince them not to repeat their illegal acts.
Specific deterrence is a popular approach to crime control today.
The use of mandatory sentences for some crimes means that all kids who
are found to have committed those crimes must be institutionalized; first
time of-fenders may be treated in the same manner as chronic recidivists.
 
3. Situational Deterrence
Rather than deterring or punishing individuals in order to reduce
delinquency rates, situation prevention strategies aim to reduce the
opportunities for people to commit particular crimes.
Increasing the risk of crime might involve such measures as improving
surveillance lighting, creating neighborhood watch programs, controlling
building entrances and exits, installing alarms and security systems and
increasing the number of private security officers and police patrols.
 Classifying delinquency prevention
1.Public Health Approach
One of the first efforts to classify the many different types of
delinquency prevention activities, drew upon the public health an
approach to preventing diseases and injuries. This method divided
delinquency prevention activities into three categories, namely: Primary,
secondary, and tertiary preventions.

2. Developmental Perspectives
Another popular approach in classifying delinquency prevention
activities is the developmental perspective. Developmental perspective
refers to intervention designed to prevent the development of criminal
potential in individuals.
 Three levels of delinquency prevention
1. Primary Prevention
Primary prevention is directed at modifying and changing crime causing conditions
in the overall physical and social conditions that lead to crime. Corrective and
mechanical prevention fits into this level.

2. Secondary Prevention
Secondary prevention seeks early identification and intervention into the lives of
individuals or groups. It focuses on changing the behavior of those who are likely
to become delinquent. Punitive prevention fits into this level.

3. Tertiary Prevention
Tertiary Prevention, is aimed at preventing recidivism that is, it focuses on
preventing further delinquent acts by youth directly identified as delinquent.It
targets youth 10 to 18 years of age who may or may not be in trouble but who have
been in trouble in the past and might get in trouble again without immediate
intervention.
 Delinquency prevention efforts
-Delinquency prevention efforts are considered by many to be crucial to
the development of a consistent and comprehensive approach to the
problem of youth crime and delinquency.
-The first relates to the notion of providing a continuum of services to
youth at different stages of the child welfare and juvenile justice
systems, providing both assistance and sanctions appropriate to
individual children in individual situations.
-Mobilizing communities including youth and developing stronger ties
among community residents, service providers, and law enforcement
officials have proven to be critical components of crime prevention.
 Delinquency prevention that works
Programs that consistently demonstrate positive effects on youth at risk include those
that strengthen the institutions of school and family in the life of the youth, such as:
1. smaller class sizes in the early years of education; 2. tutoring and cooperative
learning; 3. class-room behavior management,
4. behavioral monitoring, 5. reinforcement of school attendance 6. progress 7.
behavior 8. parent training and family counseling 9. and youth employment and
vocational training programs.

Programs considered promising include:

•conflict resolution and violence prevention curriculum in schools;
•peer mediation;
•mentoring relationships;
•community service for delinquent youth;
•restrictions on the sale,
•purchase
•possession of guns;
•and intensified motorized patrol and community policing.
Working under the assumption that juvenile delinquency and behavioral
problems are strongly linked to criminality later in life, four kinds of
programs are currently under consideration:

1) Child care professionals visit children under the age of 3 at home,

followed by 4years of sponsored daycare and guidance to parents;
2) Parents of school children beginning to show signs of aggression and
behavioral problems are trained;
3) Cash and other incentives are offered for disadvantaged high school
students to complete their diplomas; and
4) High school students who have al-ready exhibited delinquent behavior
are monitored and supervised.
 Individual delinquency’s prevention
-Perspectives on delinquency suggest that prevention efforts should be
directed at strengthening a youth's home life and personal relationships.
-If parents cannot supply proper nurturing, love, care, discipline,
nutrition, and so on, the child cannot develop properly.
-In some instances, intervention is focused on a particular family
problem that has the potential for producing delinquent behavior, such as
alcohol and drug problems, child abuse, and sexual abuse.
-In addition, individual approaches have been used to prevent court-
adjudicated youths from engaging in further criminal activities.
-Some questions remain regarding the effective-ness of individual
treatment as delinquency prevention technique.
 Effective delinquency prevention
1. Education Model
Education model programs assist families and children by providing
them with information. Some programs inform parents on how to raise
healthy children; some teach children about the effects of drugs, gangs,
sex, and weapons; and others aim to express to youth the innate worth
they and all others have. All of these programs provide youth with the
awareness that their actions have consequences.

2. Recreational Activities
One of the immediate benefits of recreational activities is that they fill
unsupervised after-school hours. It is noted that youth at risk are most
likely to commit crimes between 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., with crime rates
peaking at 3 p.m. Recreation programs allow them to connect with other
adults and children in the community. Such positive friendships may
assist them in later years.
3. Community Involvement
Girl scouts, boy scouts, church youth groups, and volunteer groups all
involve youth within a community. Involvement in community groups
provides youth with an opportunity to interact in a safe social
environment.
4. Prenatal and Infancy Home Visitation
Nurses involved in the "prenatal and infancy home visitation" program
pay visits to low income, single mothers between their third trimester
and the second year of their child's life.
5. Parent-Child Interaction
The "parent-child interaction" training program takes parents and
children approximately 12 weeks to complete. It is designed to teach
parenting skills to parents of children ages 2 to 7 who exhibit major
behavioral problems. The program places parents and children in
interactive situations. It has been shown to reduce hyperactivity,
attention deficit, aggression, an anxious behavior in children.
6. Bullying Prevention
The bullying prevention program is put in place in elementary and high
school settings. An anonymous student questionnaire fills teachers and
administrators in as to who is doing the bullying, which kids are most
frequently victimized, and where bullying occurs in campus. Individual
bullies and victims receive in-dependent counseling.

7. Intervention Assistance
A youth entering the juvenile justice system has the opportunity to
receive intervention assistance from the government. In the care of the
state, a youth may receive drug rehabilitation assistance, counseling, and
educational opportunities
8. Youth Institution
The youth institution is an example of a successful juvenile detention
facility that gears its programs toward restoring delinquent youth. The
facility holds young adult violent offenders and juvenile delinquents who
have been tried in adult court for committing violent crimes.

9. Ending Repeat Offenses

Once out of the facility, youths face the challenge of readjusting to "free-
life." They must create a pat-tern of life separate from criminal activity.
To assist in this process, courts have attempted to implement social
services for juvenile delinquents and their families.
10. Functional Family Therapy
A family therapist works with the family and helps individual family
members see how they can positively motivate change in their home.
The program works in three- phases.

1. During the first phase, the therapist attempts to break down resistance
to therapy and encourages the family to believe that negative
communication and interaction patterns can be changed.
2. In the second phase, family members are taught new ways to approach
day-to-day situations; they are shown how to change their behaviors and
responses to situations.
3. During the third phase, family members are encouraged to move new
relational skills into other social situations.
 Ineffective delinquency prevention
1. Scare Tactics
Currently, the society is steering away from this tactic, as it has proven
rather ineffective, but during the 1990s it was a technique in which
politicians and the greater community put much confidence. 'Slogans
such as "get tough on crime" and "adult time for adult crime" spoke to
the common-sense core of many people who worried about rising
juvenile crime rates.

2. Juvenile Institutions
In the years that "get tough on crime" policies were being established,
various new programs were also attempted. One such program, juvenile
institutions, received high publicity but had little success. At risk youth
were placed in intense, structured, severe environments.
3. Scared Straight
Another program, "scared straight," brought parole/probation youth into
interaction with adult prisoners through meetings or short term
incarcerations. The program was designed to frighten young offenders.

THANK YOU!!!