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…

Postcode Criminals was the second phase of an international participatory community arts project challenging negative stereotypes of urban youth. Concerned with the impact of zero tolerance community policing strategies in the UK and USA, artists Joann Kushner and Dread Scott developed an art-based project with a social justice agenda. To give…

This report, summarizing the results of a survey of the Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Bureau of Police, focuses on perceived opportunities for productivity improvements in the Bureau as viewed by police officers themselves. The study looks at definite change strategy suggestions and the attitudinal climate influencing any potential changes. A survey…

This volume of the "Publications of the National Institute of Justice" encompasses all documents published for distribution by the National Institute of Justice from 1978 to 1982. This comprehensive bibliography, which covers all the annual supplements since the last cumulative volume (1978), provides criminal justice professionals with…

Crime prevention works. This simple fact is often forgotten in the ongoing debate over crime and its causes. Prevention works when individuals take common-sense actions to protect themselves, their families and property. The theme from Crime Prevention Month 1995 goes back to these basics: good home security, self-protection skills for kids and…

This study explores the clinical epidemiology of children's exposure to violence as addressed by a program in which mental health clinicians work with law-enforcement agents in 10 U.S. cities. Data were collected on all participants contacted by the Child Development Community Policing Program (N = 7,313 individuals involved in 2,466 community…

This manual is an attempt to draw together relevant resources and information for localities interested in developing a bicycle law enforcement operation. It is divided into five major sections. Section I explains the need for and importance of bicycle law enforcement. In section II are presented examples of past and current bicycle law…

Truancy is the first sign that a youngster is giving up and losing his or her way. Research shows that students who become truant and eventually drop out of school put themselves at a long-term disadvantage in becoming productive citizens. Dropouts are more likely to be on welfare or unemployed than high school graduates. High truancy rates are…

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…

Stores (n=120) in Chicago (Illinois) were targeted for enforcement of prohibitions on selling cigarettes to minors. Enforcement schedules of 2, 4, and 6 months were effective in reducing illegal sales, from 86% to 19%, 87% to 34%, and 87% to 42%, respectively, indicating the effectiveness of regular enforcement of civil penalties for tobacco sales…

Law enforcement officials know the devastation that drinking can cause among the immature and the inexperienced. This guide is intended to be used by law enforcement agencies in cooperation with other segments of the community. It provides an overview of the problem of youth access to alcohol, a discussion of the legal and policy issues relating…

The possibility of an armed intruder, serious bomb threat, or suicide cluster may seem remote, but even without a major crisis, schools are subjected to a number of other potentially disruptive events. Each year three million crimes are committed on school grounds, and on any given day an estimated 100,000 students carry a gun to school. Being…

Recent findings show that children and teens are most vulnerable either to committing or being a victim of crime between 2:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. Community organizations with afterschool programs are particularly well positioned to counter some of the hazards that threaten children, especially urban adolescents: drug abuse, gang activity, and…