NCJ Number
164211
Journal
Evaluation Review Volume: 20 Issue: 2 Dated: (April 1996) Pages: 181-203
Date Published
1996
Length
23 pages
Annotation
This article attempts to put into a theoretical context the Gang Resistance Education and Training (GREAT) pilot program involving middle school students in the Phoenix, Arizona, area.
Abstract
The authors contend that one weakness common to many delinquency intervention and prevention programs is that they are so tied to a unique set of place- and time-bound elements that they do not translate well to other places and times. In their view, a thorough evaluation of the GREAT program is possible only if linkages can be clarified between the program and self-control theory and social learning theory, two theoretical positions with the potential to provide insights into gang membership and gang-related criminal activities. They demonstrate that both the pedagogy of the in-class curriculum and the extracurricular information employ the conceptual bases of both theories and integration of the concepts provides a more complete understanding of misbehavior proneness, with the presentment of a criminogenic opportunity, and individual misbehavior. They hope that by including theoretical constructs in the evaluation, they will be able to assess why the GREAT program failed or succeeded. Notes, references