NCJ Number
177225
Date Published
1997
Length
0 pages
Annotation
This videotape uses various participants from law enforcement and the courts to describe the need for effective juvenile justice interventions that target children at risk and that reduce recidivism.
Abstract
The videotape is set in the context of a female teenager who discusses her fear of crime in the community. She indicates that young people function in the community more successfully if they know people have faith in them and they receive positive feedback. Police and court officials discuss problems related to juvenile drug use, racially based fights, juvenile gangs, parental concern about and responsibility for the actions of their children, and the threat posed by juvenile delinquency and crime to families and communities. These officials also cover the need for involvement at all levels (police, courts, and communities) in juvenile delinquency prevention, the value of positive interactions between police officers and young people, the necessity of adequate documentation in juvenile gang prevention, and the use of the field information and observation note as a tool by police officers. The videotape points out that incarceration has not worked due to its punitive focus and that the goal should be to reinforce positive behaviors by and relationships with young people.