NCJ Number
110406
Date Published
1988
Length
125 pages
Annotation
This report describes the development, operation, and evaluation of the Juvenile Serious Habitual Offender/Directed Intervention Program (SHO/DI) sponsored by the Colorado Springs Police Department (Colorado).
Abstract
In September 1983, the Colorado Springs Police Department was awarded a Federal grant from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention to develop a program that would effectively address the problem of serious juvenile offenders and their criminal activity. The SHO/DI program is based on the principle that the application of a more systematic approach to information gathering, analysis, planning, and integration of police and juvenile justice activities will increase the effectiveness of the police, prosecutors, and juvenile authorities in addressing and reducing serious juvenile crime. This report describes the roles of the district attorney, juvenile probation, and the Department of Institutions in the SHO/DI program. Program operation, procedures, and implementation are described, as is the use of the crime analysis information sheet. A survey of 52 criminal justice personnel involved in the program yielded a generally favorable assessment. Among the findings are that SHO/DI has improved communication among juvenile agencies, has increased information on serious juvenile offenders, has aided in juvenile treatment plans, has increased the early identification of serious juvenile offenders, and has expanded the number of community agencies involved in comprehensive intervention to reduce serious juvenile offending.