NCJ Number
141170
Date Published
1992
Length
25 pages
Annotation
This paper describes the philosophy and goals of a juvenile delinquency prevention program in which police and repeat minority youthful offenders will take part in a highly structured, guided session using a pilot program model that addresses perceptual conflicts between the two groups.
Abstract
Funded by Northeastern University, Project Reinforcement is designed to examine the role of police in the reintegration of juvenile offenders. The core concept of the project involves identifying conflicting viewpoints held by police and repeat minority male youthful offenders. The project rests on the assumptions that the reintegration phase is an important transition point for repeat juvenile offenders, that police and juvenile offenders have stereotypical perceptions of one another, and that repeat juvenile offenders can be affected by additional labeling effects resulting from police encounters. The structured sessions will include 10 members of the Boston police department and 10 incarcerated youths, who will meet twice for 3.5 hours each and will also evaluate the sessions immediately after they end. The project rests on concepts of problem-oriented policing by moving police into a position where they can, by working with others, define a problem, collect information, analyze that information, and apply it. Footnotes, 2 case citations, and 82 references