NCJ Number
190635
Date Published
February 2002
Length
56 pages
Annotation
This seventh annual Report to Congress describes how States and communities across the Nation implemented the Community Prevention Grants Program in 2000 and examines their experiences and accomplishments.
Abstract
In 1992 Congress amended the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974 to establish Title V, Incentive Grants for Local Delinquency Prevention Programs. Referred to as the Community Prevention Grants Program, Title V provides States and communities with the framework, funding, and tools to establish community-based strategies that deter youth from delinquent behavior. This report begins with a review of the latest research on delinquency prevention, based on risk-factor and protective-factor analysis. This is followed by an overview of the allocation of Federal resources under Title V, including program structure, funding, and training and technical assistance. The report then examines the impact the Community Prevention Grants Program has had at the State and local levels and factors that have hindered and facilitated its success. It also explores the future of delinquency prevention in Title V communities. Preliminary findings are presented from the six States that are participating in the national Title V evaluation. This is followed by an update of Federal collaboration, leadership, and support for local delinquency prevention initiatives. The report notes that since 1994 nearly 1,100 communities have implemented Title V delinquency prevention initiatives using the Program's model and guidelines. They have produced positive impacts at the State and community levels in the area of improved collaboration, improved planning, more effective prevention programming, and reductions in risk factors. The programs have focused on improving school safety; preventing youth drug and alcohol use; linking the educational, workforce training, and juvenile justice systems; improving the physical and mental well-being of youth; and gender issues. The report recommends that the Federal Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention encourage States and communities to move beyond prevention strategies toward a more comprehensive community-based continuum of services; to increase emphasis on selecting promising or effective programs; to tailor training and technical assistance to individual community needs for all phases of the Title V model; to conduct outreach to underserved populations; and to continue to use information from the national evaluation to strengthen the Title V model and contribute to the research foundation about what works in delinquency prevention. 22 references