NCJ Number
150998
Date Published
1991
Length
81 pages
Annotation
A literature review, site visits, and interviews with human service and police professionals in Canada formed the basis of an analysis of the usefulness and implications of the concept of youth at risk for criminal justice and community-based policy and programs.
Abstract
The analysis also focused on the potential for interagency collaboration in addressing the problem of youth at risk and the role that the police might have in such an initiative. Results revealed wide variations in the understanding and use of the term youth. The concept of being at risk was used extensively to refer to behaviors or situations potentially harmful to young people, including child abuse, drug abuse, domestic assault, and the dangers resulting from exposure to life on the streets. Participants distinguished between youth at risk of being victimized and those at risk of becoming low-term clients of the criminal justice or social service systems. Participants also recognized that the same youths had both kinds of risks. A multidisciplinary, interagency, community-based approach was widely regarded as essential for responding appropriately to the problem of youth at risk. A recurring theme was the need to recognize the problem of youth at risk as community-based and not the fault of specific groups or individuals. Findings indicated the need for developing appropriate protocols for professionals, for police participation in interagency networks, for training of police and other professionals in the community, and for early and preventive intervention strategies. 13 references and appended summaries of site visits and list of participants