Prevention and Early Intervention

Typically, juvenile delinquency follows a trajectory similar to that of normal adolescent development. In other words, children and youth tend to follow a path toward delinquent and criminal behavior rather than engaging randomly.¹ Research has shown that there are two types of delinquents,

• those in whom the onset of severe antisocial behavior begins in early childhood, and
• those in whom this onset coincides with entry into adolescence.²

Individuals whose antisocial behavior begins in early childhood are two to three times more likely to perpetrate more severe and violent repeat offenses than youth whose delinquent behaviors begin in adolescence.³

Early Intervention

Considering the growing body of research, we now know that the better and more cost-effective place to stop the “cradle to prison pipeline” is as close to the beginning of that pipeline as possible. Early intervention prevents the onset of delinquent behavior and supports the development of a youth’s assets and resilience.⁴ It also decreases rates of recidivism by a significant 16 percent when youth do go on to engage with the justice system.⁵ While many past approaches focus on remediating visible and/or longstanding disruptive behavior, research has shown that prevention and early intervention are more effective.⁶

In addition to societal and personal benefits, research has demonstrated that delinquency prevention programs are a good financial investment. For example, a 2001 Washington State Institute for Public Policy (WSIPP) study found that the total benefits of effective prevention programs were greater than their costs. More recent research by WSIPP found that sound delinquency-prevention programs can save taxpayers seven to ten dollars for every dollar invested, primarily due to reductions in the amount spent on incarceration.

Intervening early “not only saves young lives from being wasted,” but also prevents the onset of adult criminal careers and reduces the likelihood of youth perpetrating serious and violent offenses. This in turn reduces the burden of crime on society and saves taxpayers billions of dollars.⁷

Positive Youth Development

Researchers have promoted a positive youth development model to address the needs of youth who might be at risk of entering the juvenile justice system.

One positive youth development model addresses the six life domains of work, education, relationships, community, health, and creativity. The two key assets needed by all youth are (1) learning/doing and (2) attaching/belonging. When the necessary supports and services are provided to assist youth in the six life domains, it is expected that positive outcomes will result.⁸

What are Effective Programs?

Under this prevention and early intervention framework, an increasing body of research is being conducted to determine which existing programs are truly effective. Current literature indicates that effective programs are those that aim to act as early as possible and focus on known risk factors and the behavioral development of juveniles.⁹ In general, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention recommends that the following types of school and community prevention programs be employed:

• Classroom and behavior management programs
• Multi-component classroom-based programs
• Social competence promotion curriculums
• Conflict resolution and violence prevention curriculums
• Bullying prevention programs
• Afterschool recreation programs
• Mentoring programs
• School organization programs
• Comprehensive community interventions

References