NCJ Number
86169
Date Published
1980
Length
47 pages
Annotation
A 1979 survey of 117 people in 6 Vermont communities and at the State level shows that appropriate and feasible delinquency prevention efforts include changing school practices that appear to damage youth and cause behavior problems, involving young people in meaningful work and community service, and directing peer group pressure into constructive activities.
Abstract
Most interviewers considered delinquency a serious problem requiring additional commitment of human and fiscal resources. They also felt that areas in a young person's life which could be most effectively influenced were schools and family. Specific approaches which received strong interviewee and some national research support were tutoring programs, vocational education, and strengthening family relationships. Actions which interviewees advocated, but few research studies supported, included teaching youths about legal rights and responsibilities, individual counseling, recreational programs, and early identification of predelinquent youths. Neither group supported increased severity of punishment nor increased neighborhood security as solutions. The survey results and national research studies suggest that prevention efforts will be most effective if they provide opportunities for youth to demonstrate worth and competence to both adults and peers, promote youth having a stake in their community and in themselves, and not be corrective or treatment oriented. In addition, programs should not single out individual youth for attention, but be able to affect the largest numbers of youth for the most extended period of time. Interviewees felt the State should formulate clear policies or legislation to guide funding and create a mechanism for several agencies to jointly sponsor and fund programs. Tables, graphs, the interview guide, study methodology, study data and approximately 100 references are provided. (Author summary modified)