NCJ Number
170915
Date Published
1996
Length
79 pages
Annotation
By presenting facts on youth violence and programs designed to address and prevent it, this Program Planning Guide has been developed to help communities plan and implement strategic responses to their youth violence problem.
Abstract
Section 1, "Key Facts About Youth Violence," provides information on the youth-violence problem that can help communities craft a local response. The facts presented encompass the prevalence of the youth violence problem; patterns of serious, violent, and chronic youthful offenders; variations in seriousness and type of violence; populations at risk for youth violence; violence risk across different contexts; and specific risk factors for youth violence. Section 2, "Approaches to Community Collaboration," reviews various approaches to assessing community needs and resources as well as how to mobilize the community to meet those needs. Section 3, "Promising Programs," focuses on how to develop community-based violence prevention, intervention, and youth development strategies, including profiles of programs and activities that are promising and can be incorporated into local efforts. The programs described feature social development, youth involvement, peer mediation, gang prevention, parent training, family intervention, cooperative learning, community services, and neighborhood mobilization. Section 4 discusses how to implement programs effectively and evaluate their impact. A listing of eight research articles on promising programs and appended sample community worksheets pertinent to an assessment of community violence