NCJ Number
237250
Date Published
2011
Length
2 pages
Annotation
This brochure from the City of Stockton presents information on Operation Peacekeepers, the city's youth gang and violence prevention and intervention program.
Abstract
This two-page brochure presents information on how to recognize when a child is involved with youth gangs and strategies for dealing with the problem of youth gang violence. Some of the signs that indicate a child is involved with a gang include having been in trouble with the police, coming home with unexplained injuries, and exhibiting negative changes in behavior such as withdrawing from the family and declining school attendance and performance. The brochure includes actions that parents can take to keep their children out of gangs and to prevent gang violence, such as being a positive role model and getting to know their child's friends and their families. The brochure also details the main strategy of Operation Peacekeepers, the city of Stockton's youth gang and violence prevention and intervention program. The main focus of the program is to use outreach workers to build long-term mentoring relationships with youth and provide them with positive alternatives to gang involvement. The strategy involves three levels of intervention: Level 1 - the evaluation stage to determine the amount of time and resources needed for a youth who is referred to the program; Level 2 - provide the youth who has decided to stay with the program with the necessary resources to complete the program; and Level 3 - provided continued mentoring for the youth who has shown an obvious determination to finish the program. Finally, the brochure discusses the success of the program in the community, and includes information on obtaining additional information about Operation Peacekeepers.