In the context of juvenile justice, writes Traci Schlesinger, "diversion" can mean two things. Informal diversion includes police officers' decisions to warn and release, probation officers' decisions not to report violations, prosecutors' decisions not to prosecute, and judges' decisions to dismiss cases. Informal diversion sends youth…

In the United States, involvement with the juvenile justice system can have a long-lasting negative impact on one's life. Young people who are placed in detention facilities are removed from their homes, their families, and their communities. Their education, their ties to society, and their lives are disrupted. Involvement with the justice system…

In this article, the impact of two major disasters (Hurricane Katrina and the Deepwater Horizon oil rig fire and subsequent oil spill) on residents of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast are discussed. An overriding concern as expressed by the recently released report issued by the National Commission on Children and Disasters, 2010 "Report to the…

Community policing and Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) are evolving initiatives that can respond to changing social problems and demands. However, many of the challenges faced by both programs arise out of the fundamentals of human nature. Among the greatest barriers to overcome are: (1) the resistance to change that affects law…

Reports preliminary evidence on an innovative approach to gang violence which relies on community mobilization, social intervention, suppression, opportunities provision, organizational development, and targeting. Describes program processes and outcomes. The project involved teams of community youth workers, tactical police officers, adult…

The Hartford project, an experimental effort to reduce residential burglary, street robberies, and fear of those crimes in an urban residential neighborhood, is described. Its most distinctive feature is its integrative approach in which police, community organization, and physical design changes were used to increase the willingness and ability…

Both courts and police departments have had difficulty in coping with increased juvenile crime. This paper describes a program of collaboration between law enforcement and social services which illustrates a developing trend in the management of youthful offenders. In a suburban Conneticut community (Hamden), the police department regularly…

This report describes an experimental program in which civilians and police officers work as two-person teams, patrolling fixed "beat" areas in selected urban neighborhoods. These teams work in responding to service calls, aiding regular mobile patrols in their duties, deterring criminal activity and civilian victimization, and…

Police are on duty around the clock. As the only available service agency during many hours of the day, they must cope with a variety of social problems, among them psychiatric and drug and alcohol emergencies that may not be criminal offenses but nevertheless pose a threat to the individual and the community. Few jurisdictions have developed a…

Community groups, volunteers, and local businesses helped a small North Carolina town initiate many programs for at-risk youth including Head Start, DARE, after-school programs at community centers and the library, summer programs, park development, and reduced swimming pool fees. A program that informs crime victims of the status of their cases…

This report comprises papers that discuss how grassroots organizations, police involvement, and partnerships with local government and boards of education can prevent youth from criminal involvement through participation in productive and enjoyable work and activities. The following articles are included: (1) "Police Officers Can 'Prevent'…

Programs that attempt to keep children from turning to crime are described following an introduction by Senator Joseph Biden that considers the scope of the problem of juvenile crime and possible solutions to the problems of youth violence. Catalogued are 192 ways in which communities are reaching out to children. The programs listed vary in size,…

How community-based groups are confronting and preventing alcohol and other drug problems and related crime in their communities is the focus of this publication. A wide range of approaches and strategies, used by 10 nonprofit, community-based organizations representative of urban and rural areas, are presented. Case studies describe two community…