NCJ Number
224052
Journal
THE POLICE CHIEF Volume: 75 Issue: 8 Dated: August 2008 Pages: 100-103
Date Published
August 2008
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This article describes the effectiveness of the Norristown Truancy Abatement Initiative in combating the increasing crime rate in Norristown, PA.
Abstract
Comparing data from 2006, when the initial activities of the Norristown Truancy Abatement Initiative were undertaken, and from 2007, after full implementation of the Initiative, two significant outcomes were observed and attributed to the Initiative. Major crimes decreased by 10 percent and arrests for major crimes decreased by 15 percent. In addition, the Truancy Abatement Initiative achieved the following outcomes: (1) comparing marking period attendance records before and after court involvement, 55 percent of truant youths decreased their number of unexcused absences by greater than 25 percent; (2) of parent education and counseling participants, 89 percent increased their knowledge of the critical risk factors for youth violence, gang involvement, and truancy; (3) of the same group, 85 percent reported an increased ability to prevent or reduce youth at-risk behavior; and (4) the overall rate of unexcused absences for the Norristown Area School District (NASD) decreased by 27 percent from the 2005-2006 to the 2007-2008 school year. The NASD has one of the highest incidences of truancy in the State of Pennsylvania. In response to the area’s many crime problems, the Norristown Police Department (NPD) decided to take a forceful stance within the community implementing numerous policing and social service strategies. One such successful strategy initiated was the Norristown Truancy Abatement Initiative. The Initiative covers five aspects of the problem in an attempt to reduce truancy: prevention, timely interventions, enforcement, followup, and changing community norms. 1 note