NCJ Number
203177
Journal
Law Enforcement Technology Volume: 30 Issue: 10 Dated: October 2003 Pages: 24-26,28,32
Date Published
October 2003
Length
8 pages
Annotation
This article describes the D.A.R.E. program and its approach to preventing drug abuse among the Nation’s youth.
Abstract
The D.A.R.E. program began in Los Angeles in 1983 and is now the world’s largest drug and violence prevention program. The article describes D.A.R.E.’s mission of providing children with the information necessary to make responsible decisions about drug use. The program begins for children in kindergarten through fourth grade, where they are taught the dangers of medicine cabinets and how to respond when a stranger approaches them. When children enter elementary school, the focus of the D.A.R.E. program turns to identifying what drugs are and how to handle the pressure to use drugs. The health, legal, and extralegal consequences of drug use are explored as children are taught safe and effective techniques to remain drug free. The final session of D.A.R.E. training usually occurs in high school, where students engage in role-playing activities designed to demonstrate the potentially devastating consequences of drug use. The D.A.R.E. program is credited with reducing drug use around the country since 1983. Another positive outcome of the D.A.R.E. program is that community and police collaboration is enhanced as police officers work closely with community leaders on D.A.R.E. initiatives. The article examines a new D.A.R.E. curriculum being introduced in schools this year which focuses on group learning techniques. Finally, the intense, 2 week training curriculum required to become a D.A.R.E. officer is explored in order to show the commitment necessary to carrying out the D.A.R.E. program. With the understanding that children are the future, the D.A.R.E. program has enjoyed 20 years of success in preventing drug use among the Nation’s youth.