NCJ Number
226108
Editor(s)
Ross Hastings,
Melanie Bania
Date Published
March 2008
Length
171 pages
Annotation
This publication contains a collection of articles that explore a more comprehensive approach to prevention and safety issues within society.
Abstract
Although this collection of articles has diverse goals and approaches, they all coalesce around a few key issues: the need to better target interventions and to pay more attention to assessing their impact on those who benefit, how they can be helped, and where and when interventions will have the most impact. This requires agreement on the indicators of success or failure and on the types of data that will allow an assessment of progress in different areas. A key dimension in this area is the challenge of balancing the right to privacy with the desire for the information required to identify high risk situations or individuals, and to maximize the effectiveness of interventions and the efficient use of resources. The volume begins with an article on the potential and limits of community mobilization for prevention. The next two articles report on examples of the work on community mobilization in Quebec; one describes the attempt to develop a holistic approach to community safety, while the other describes some of the tools developed to help communities mobilize effectively, using a setting-oriented approach. The next article focuses on a specific case of mobilization against gang activities in three communities in the Montreal area. The next three articles report on specific programs or initiatives, and their attempt to help communities plan, implement, and sustain multilevel initiatives that address multiple risk and protective factors among youth in order to promote their positive development. The next article reviews a comprehensive school-based program aimed at addressing violence, substance abuse, and sexual health by helping young people develop better relationship and decisionmaking skills. The final article describes a public health approach to addressing and reducing alcohol related violence in public places in the United Kingdom. Figures, tables, and references