a. After School Programs: According to After School All Stars (ASAS), violent juvenile crime is most likely to occur in the after school hours between 3 and 6 p.m. This is because many youth do not have much supervision from their working parents during these hours. Engaging youth in after school programs not only boosts their academic skills but can also lower the rates of juvenile crimes.
b. Early Family Intervention: Family intervention is a proactive method of preventing and reducing juvenile cases. All states utilize a form of family intervention for at-risk families by providing therapy services. Children who are likely to engage in crime undergo counseling together with other family members. This fosters closer family bonds and good parenting skills.
c. Alternative Justice: Previously, delinquent juveniles were sent to boot camp and subjected to other harsh conditions as punishment for their behavior. These methods did not work in reducing juvenile cases because they focused only on punishment and not prevention. Alternative methods of administering justice have been adopted to solve delinquent behavior. This includes the use of special courts to try and rehabilitate delinquent youth and prevent repeat offenses. Rehabilitation of delinquents ensures that they gain social skills for coping with life situations. In this way, alternative justice can reduce juvenile cases by lowering repeat offenses.
d. Job Training: Providing youth with necessary skills to engage in meaningful employment is essential to reducing youth crime. Through such community programs, youth are not only given the chance to work but also to get an education. Mentorship, counseling and participation in community service are other benefits of these programs. By having a strong social support network and engaging in meaningful activities, youth are able to avoid criminal activities.
e. Psycho-education: Model programs have assisted families and children by providing them with information. Some programs inform parents on how to raise healthy children; some teach children about the effects of drugs, gangs, sex, and weapons; and others aim to express to youth the innate worth they and all others have. All of these programs provide youths with the awareness that their actions have consequences. This is particularly important in an era where youth are barraged with sexual and violent images. Educational programs have the underlying intent of encouraging hope and opening up opportunities for young people.
f. Recreation: One of the immediate benefits of recreational activities is that they fill unsupervised after-school hours. The Department of Education has reported that youths are most likely to commit crimes between 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., with crime rates peaking at 3 p.m. Recreation programs allow youths to connect with other adults and children in the community. Such positive friendships may assist children in later years. Youth programs are designed to fit the personalities and skills of different children and may include sports, dancing, music, rock climbing, drama, karate, bowling, art, and other activities.
g. Community Involvement: Girl scouts, boy scouts, church youth groups, and volunteer groups all involve youth within a community. Involvement in community groups provide youth with an opportunity to interact in a safe social environment.
h. Parent-Child Interaction Training Program: The "Parent-Child Integration Training Program" takes parents and children approximately 12 weeks to complete. It is designed to teach parenting skills to parents of children age’s two to seven who exhibit major behavioral problems. The program places parents and children in interactive situations. A therapist guides the parents, educating them on how best to respond to their child's behavior, whether positive or negative. The program has been shown to reduce hyperactivity, attention deficit, aggression, and anxious behavior in children.
i. Bullying Prevention Program: The Bullying Prevention Program is put into place in elementary and junior high school settings. An anonymous student questionnaire fills teachers and administrators in as to who is doing the bullying, which kids are most frequently victimized, and where bullying occurs on campus. Once teachers and administrators have learned about how and where bullying occurs at their school, they set up class rules and facilitate discussions that address the problem. Individual bullies and victims receive independent counseling. The program succeeds in creating a safer, less hostile environment for students at minimal cost.
j. Ending Repeat Offenses: Once out of detention, youths face the challenge of readjusting to "free" life. For many, youth detainment places a halt in a pattern of destructive behavior. Once out of prison, the youth must create a pattern of life separate from criminal activity. To assist in this process, courts have attempted to implement helpful social services for former inmates and their families. Some of these are: job placement, school follow-up, extended counseling, and extended drug rehab. The Functional Family Therapy (FFT) program assists youth on parole by helping them and their families communicate in more effective, positive ways.
Titany answered the question on December 7, 2021 at 09:36