NCJ Number
149297
Date Published
1988
Length
126 pages
Annotation
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Gang Curriculum Development Committee sought to create a gang prevention curriculum modeled on a successful substance abuse prevention program targeted at children in the 4th, 5th, and 6th grades.
Abstract
The curriculum is based on the belief that there is a positive relationship between drug use and gang-related behavior. Drug abuse is virtually omnipresent in gangs, drug usage in gangs is used as a rite of passage, and the street gang often acts as a drug supply and distribution network. This curriculum is designed to address three specific attitudinal areas -- cognitive, behavioral, and emotional -- in order to present a complete and coherent message to children. The format of each lesson is similar: a 15-minute review of the previous lesson, a 30-minute activity such as role playing or a written exercise, and a 15-minute group discussion of the activity. Subjects which are incorporated into the lessons include self-esteem, decisionmaking, communication skills, values, future orientation, alternatives to gang involvement, media influence, personal responsibility, safety strategies, power, and emotion. 4 appendixes and 45 references