NCJ Number
169269
Date Published
1997
Length
22 pages
Annotation
This booklet examines and evaluates several programs to educate juveniles about the dangers involved in carrying weapons and to provide nonviolent routes to developing self-esteem and personal responsibility.
Abstract
The booklet is based on the Vera Institute's experience working with the New York City Family Court and its partners in the juvenile justice system to plan and test a weapons education program in Brooklyn during the winter of 1996-97. It also draws lessons from the design of three other programs in Detroit, Project LIFE (Lasting Intense Firearms Education) in Indianapolis, and Street Law's Save Our Streets Program in Washington, DC. Among the subject areas discussed are: (1) defining a target population; (2) why not to focus exclusively on juveniles caught with guns; (3) when to intervene; (4) facing resistance; (5) developing content; (6) picking a physical space; (7) connecting young people with youth groups, police, and parents; (8) working with volunteers; (9) guidelines for presenters; and (10) what to expect from a low-intensity, low-cost intervention. Notes, figure, bibliography