NCJ Number
167181
Date Published
Unknown
Length
49 pages
Annotation
This document presents background information, a summary of procedures, and statistics on the results of an interagency program to reduce the problems of truancy and juvenile crime in the Corpus Christi, Tex. area.
Abstract
The Truancy Reduction Impact Program (TRIP) is a project of the Coastal Bend Alliance for Youth, in partnership with the YMCA and in cooperation with La Raza Runaway Shelter and other area agencies. TRIP rests on a model used in Oklahoma City. Its three goals are to reduce the truancy rate in the Corpus Christi area, to divert children with school-related problems from the juvenile justice system be developing a network of community resources, and the collection and use of data on truant children to improve actions. The program particularly targets youth in middle school and uses an interactive process that involves law enforcement, schools, protective services, and social services. Local law enforcement personnel pick up juveniles found on the streets during school hours and take them to the TRIP center, which notifies their parents, interviews and assesses the youth, and makes referrals to the school counselor and appropriate community services. Preliminary data from the program for 1994-96 reveal reduced daytime crime and improved school attendance since the program's inception. Forms, statistical reports, and newspaper articles