NCJ Number
180280
Date Published
1999
Length
33 pages
Annotation
This report summarizes the proceedings of the Drugs Prevention Initiative (DPI) research conference held in December 1997 under the sponsorship of the Great Britain Home Office; the meeting focused on the interim findings of the DPI research program, which examined the effectiveness of drug prevention approaches funded by the DPI.
Abstract
The research included 17 studies of different aspects of the Drugs Prevention Initiative. The five plenary sessions covered major issues in drug prevention, including drug education, the role of parents, high-risk groups, interventions in the criminal justice system, and the integrated program approach. Workshops followed the plenary sessions. Participants then developed a set of central messages for practice and research. Among these were that drug prevention needs to be part of more holistic approaches, that defining high-risk groups can mean the labeling and stigmatizing of those involved, and that drug prevention should include both general and targeted approaches. Other messages were that prevention is most effective when delivered locally and in consultation with local communities; that young people need different types of information at different stages in their drug careers; that heroin may need specific targeting; and that other practice issues include responsibility, resourcing, and sustainability. Research recommendations focused on the need for large longitudinal studies, effective evaluation methods, and other issues. Tables and list of 26 published DPT research papers