NCJ Number
189645
Journal
Federal Probation Volume: 65 Issue: 1 Dated: June 2001 Pages: 40-42
Date Published
June 2001
Length
3 pages
Annotation
This article promotes the involvement of criminal justice professionals -- such as police, court staff, and probation staff -- in early childhood prevention programs.
Abstract
Research-based models have shown that early childhood services can ultimately yield fewer future criminal justice clients and perhaps lower future probation caseloads. Many of the early childhood models have been highlighted in a series of Department of Justice bulletins on resilience-building through family, school, and justice agency partnerships. Police, sheriffs, and probation agencies can often model relationship building and share their special insights with early childhood nurses, teachers, and school administrators. On the other hand, criminal justice professionals can learn much about the families and communities they serve through the teachers who spend many hours a day with children. Court staff have assisted school administrators in dealing with nonattendance or truancy at the elementary school level. Police departments occasionally can demonstrate a significant decrease in daytime crime when truancy intervention programs are put in place. The sharing of student interns and consulting roles by court staff can assist elementary school administrators and families. Probation counselors often have a detailed knowledge of community services and can assist school personnel in directing families to clothing banks, medical services, and other helping professionals who may not be known to the educators. 8 references