NCJ Number
50421
Date Published
1978
Length
147 pages
Annotation
A COMMUNITY CRIME PREVENTION PROGRAM IN JACKSONVILLE, FLA., INCORPORATED JUVENILE RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES AS PART OF ITS TOTAL EFFORT. THIS EVALUATION OF THE BOYS AND GIRLS CLUBS FINDS THEM EFFECTIVE.
Abstract
THE EVALUATION COMPARED JUVENILE ARREST, RECIDIVISM, AND INCIDENT REPORT DATA BY CENSUS TRACT WITH THE MEMBERSHIP DEMOGRAPHICS OF THE 1,599 YOUNGSTERS BELONGING TO THE CLUBS. THEN CLUB MEMBERS WERE SURVEYED TO DETERMINE THEIR INVOLVEMENT WITH JUVENILE CRIME. EXTENSIVE MAPS AND TABLES SUMMARIZE STUDY DATA. IT WAS FOUND THAT, IN 1977, JUVENILES ACCOUNTED FOR 40 PERCENT OF PERSONS ARRESTED FOR PART 1 CRIMES AND PERSONS UNDER AGE 24 ACCOUNTED FOR 70.2 PERCENT OF ARRESTS FOR PART 1 CRIMES AND 39.1 PERCENT OF ARRESTS FOR PART 1 AND PART 2 CRIMES COMBINED. MAPS SHOW THE CONCENTRATIONS OF THESE ARRESTS BY CENSUS TRACT. IT WAS FOUND THAT THE CLUBS WERE LOCATED IN HIGH-CRIME AREAS, YET CLUB MEMBERS WERE MOSTLY NONDELINQUENTS (83 TO 96 PERCENT OF MEMBERS OF BOYS CLUBS AND 92 TO 100 PERCENT FOR GIRLS). MOST OF THE REMAINING YOUNG PEOPLE WERE FIRST OFFENDERS, OFTEN RECOMMENDED BY THE COURTS FOR CLUB MEMBERSHIP. IT IS CONCLUDED THAT THE EFFECT RECREATION HAS AS A CRIME DETERRENT COULD HAVE BEEN MORE PRECISE IF THE MEMBER GROUPS HAD BEEN SUBJECTED TO MORE CRIME PREVENTION PROGRAMMING. HOWEVER, THE MERIT OF RECREATION AS A JUVENILE CRIME DETERRENT IS DEMONSTRATED. APPENDIXES PRESENT PROFILES OF DELINQUENT AND NONDELINQUENT JUVENILES, PROFILES OF INCARCERATED ADULT OFFENDERS, A FLOW CHART OF THE ADULT COURT SYSTEM, AN OVERVIEW OF CRIME IN JACKSONVILLE, A SUMMARY OF THE CRIME PREVENTION THROUGH RECREATION PROGRAM, CRIME STATISTICS, AND OTHER SUPPORTING DATA. A BIBLIOGRAPHY IS INCLUDED. (GLR)