Chapter 6 Introduction Delinquency Prevention

Parent Training Programs

• Targeting the families of delinquents at risk for delinquency.
• Teach parents how to effectively discipline children.
• Teach parents how to better resolve conflicts with one another.
• Teach family members better communication skills.
• Encourage parents to spend more time together in pleasurable activities.
• Strengthen the bond between parent and child, improve parental discipline.
• Promote social learning of conventional behavior.
• Reduce and eliminate negative labeling.

Programs focused on Early Family Environment

Chapter 6 Introduction Delinquency Prevention

• Developed to reduce the likelihood that families produce delinquent children.
• Attempt to reduce the child's exposure to biological harms by providing medicial care to child and mother.
• Attempt to foster good parenting practices by reducing parental stress.
• Offering of educational child care.
• Address several family factors that are related to delinquency:
• Including emotional bond between parent/child.
• Levels of parental supervision and child abuse and neglect.

Delinquency Prevention

Prevention History

Prevention programs are distinguished from rehabilitation programs in the following way:

1. Prevention programs try to prevent juveniles from becoming delinquent in the first place.

Rehabilitation fell out of favor during the 1970's for several reasons:

1. Rising crime rates during the 1960s and early 1970s caused many to question its effectiveness.

2. Martinson Report examined rehabilitation programs 1945-1967, concluded that the rehabilitative programs had no appreciable effect on recidivism.

3. Change in political climate juvenile

delinquents are accountable and deserve punishment...

Best way to reduce delinquency is through punishment.

Prevention History

2. Prevention programs target juveniles at-risk from engaging in delinquency.

3. Successful prevention programs focus on early family environment, pa rent training, the school, individual traits and delinquent peer

groups and gangs.

During the 1980's a renewed interest in prevention and rehabilitation occurred amongst criminologist and the federal government and certain states.

Federal government through OJJDP

(Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention)

Brief History Delinquency Prevention

have publicized and showcased numerous programs available to states for implementation.

General characteristics of effective prevention and Rehabilitation Programs:

• Focus on major causes of delinquency in the group being treated.
• Are Intensive.
• Focus on juveniles at high risk for subsequent delinquency.
• Are run in the community.
• Have a warm but firm relationship between counselors and juveniles.

Many criminologist argue JJS places too much emphasis on get-tough approaches.

Prevention History

Justice system should place more emphasis on rehabilitation and preventing juveniles from becoming delinquent in the first place.

Rehabilitation was the guiding philosophy of the juvenile justice system from its inception in the 1800's until the 1970's.

Brief history Prevention and Rehabilitation

Prevention programs try to prevent juveniles from becoming delinquent in the first place, rehabilitation programs try to reduce the delinquency of juveniles who already are delinquent.

Prevention played a major role in the 1960's and early 1970's during the War on Poverty program initiated by Pres. Kennedy and largely implemented by his successor President Johnson

Program was partly based on

Strain Theory.