NCJ Number
103345
Journal
New Designs Volume: 7 Issue: 2 Dated: (March-April 1986) Pages: 21-27
Date Published
1986
Length
7 pages
Annotation
This article describes the use of the Community Prevention Readiness (CPR) Index to assess the current status of crime prevention in a jurisdiction, either prior to initiating a program or to monitor a program's progress.
Abstract
The CPR Index contains a 10-point opinion scale, ranging from 'very weak' to 'very strong,' applied to 12 areas. The index users -- which may include human service planners, community decisionmakers, managers, service providers, educators, trainers, consultants, and interested citizens -- register an opinion about each inquiry area to provide a basis for strategic crime prevention planning. Areas of inquiry are the community's conceptual clarity about crime prevention, the status of crime prevention policy development, the existence of< strategic planning, the extent of networking, the use of program evaluation, the degree of State-local collaboration, technical assistance characteristics, and the level of funding commitment. Remaining inquiry areas are program models used, data availability, the presence of effective leadership, and the extent of educational support. Data from the CPR Index can be used to determine whether there exists in a community the commitment required to undertake a crime prevention initiative. It can also reveal the need for further study of the inquiry areas and provide a baseline for measuring progress. 4 references and a sample of the CPR Index.