NCJ Number
172917
Date Published
1996
Length
19 pages
Annotation
A strategy is proposed for reducing the impact and level of youth crime in Great Britain that considers the national policy context, proposes a methodology for addressing the youth crime problem at the local level, and suggests a prevention framework that can be applied to high crime locations.
Abstract
The focus is on prevention rather than on rehabilitation, and the strategy concentrates on primary and secondary prevention through strengthening the crime prevention capacity of community institutions rather than on the prevention of reoffending by convicted young offenders through the criminal justice system. In Great Britain, local strategies to address youth crime operate within a policy context determined by the central government, and central government policies determine whether local efforts will be more or less successful. The Home Office has issued guidance on how to develop a local crime prevention program that identifies for stages: defining the problem, deciding what to do, implementing the program, and assessing what has been achieved. Youth crime prevention may encompass measures that make crime more difficult to commit and/or measures that address the inclination of young people to offend. The proposed strategy recommends strengthening the main influences on young people (family, school, and community), dealing with aspects of family life that increase the risk of juvenile delinquency (poor parental supervision, improper discipline, parental conflict, a parent with a criminal record, low family income, and social disadvantage), implementing school-based schemes (police-school liaison arrangements, substance abuse prevention programs, and personal responsibility sessions with students), and making community and social activities available to young people. 33 references and 1 table