NCJ Number
81752
Date Published
1981
Length
61 pages
Annotation
Based on a literature review and a survey, information is provided on school-based delinquency prevention programs in British Columbia, and recommendations for improving such programs and their evaluation are presented.
Abstract
The literature review focused on the role of the school in social control, a clarification of concepts pertinent to school-based delinquency prevention, and general types of school-based delinquency programs, notably programs involving police-school liaison and alternative schools and classes. The 1980 survey of existing school delinquency prevention program in British Columbia involved preliminary interviews with prevention program practitioners in the schools and various police detachments and the development and use of a questionnaire designed to obtain information on number of programs, characteristics and size of the target population, type of delivery strategies, program intent, and evaluation results. The questionnaire was mailed to 74 of the 75 school districts, yielding a 70 percent response rate. Of the 52 responses, 24 school districts had operating delinquency prevention programs. Most of the programs involve a type of alternative school or class aimed at providing selected students with an individualized curriculum. The principal target population is students viewed as potential dropouts and those perceived as having behavioral problems. The second largest group of programs is the police-school liaison programs. The first set of recommendations deals with program design, and the second set focuses on evaluation methods. The questionnaire is appended, and 79 references are listed.