NCJ Number
166186
Date Published
1997
Length
12 pages
Annotation
An omnibus telephone survey of 1,000 adults was conducted in February 1997 to provide information on possible ways local communities could develop programs for young people that would keep them from getting involved in crime and help them straighten out their lives.
Abstract
Respondents expressed strong support for programs that taught children responsibility for their own actions and that organized community services to focus on strengthening families. Reasons motivating respondents to become involved in youth crime prevention programs focused on knowing they had made a difference. Respondents had varying levels of awareness of community programs aimed at helping children. They were most familiar with Boy and Girl Scouts, church youth groups, and Drug Abuse Resistance Education programs. Finally, respondents believed prevention-based programs were more effective in helping young people than punishment-based programs.