CRIME PREVENTION

Crime Prevention

Crime Prevention

Introduction

The involvement of youth involved in criminal behavior is frequently referred to as juvenile delinquents. “Juvenile delinquent behavior is usually associated with youth between the ages of seven and eighteen. This behavior typically violates the laws and norms of society. Kraus (1977) defined juvenile delinquency as a form of antisocial and deviant behavior by youth including defiance toward authority and a threat to its security. The increase in occurrences of juvenile crime has become a major concern for most communities throughout the United States. As a consequence? residents are turning to youth agencies? churches? and law enforcement to develop innovative strategies to intervene and reduce the alarming number of youth-related crimes.

At present? the U.S. judicial system and similar governmental agencies are reporting the most devastating statistics in which youth are showcased as the lead offenders. The National Center for Juvenile Justice (NCJJ? 2008) reported that arrest rates for violent crimes among juveniles between the ages of ten to seventeen jumped 100 percent between 1983 and 2002. The NCJJ also identified the peak time during which youth offenders? age six to seventeen? commit violent crimes is between 3 to 6 p.m. Even more disturbing? the homicide rate among youth? fourteen to seventeen years of age? rose 165 percent from 1984 to 2004 (NCJJ? 2008). Officials expect to see juvenile crime worsen as the current adolescent population reaches its teens. With 39 million youth under the age of ten? the crime rate may explode in the next ten years.

Despite these alarming data? a relatively small number of the total adolescent population commit crimes. Of those juveniles who do commit crimes? the majority of them will only?commit one or two offenses. For these adolescents experiencing the juvenile justice system? being arrested by police officers? facing their parents? having to spend evenings in juvenile hall? and interacting with probation officers is enough to keep them from committing crimes again. A small number of youth are chronic offenders and are responsible for a large proportion of juvenile crimes.

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether community relations aspects of police training are addressing community recreation issues as they relate to youth crimeprevention. An essential aspect of the study was to identify the specific competencies that are currently a part of police training and the perspective of academy administrators on needed competencies to address these issues. The purpose of the study was to examine the role of community policing as it pertains to recreation in the training of police officers at the academy level.

Critical Analysis

As youth-related crimes increase so? too? does the lack of respect and admiration for authority figures in the community. The role of the police officer as protector of communities has been devalued over the years as juvenile delinquents consider police the enemy. Curfews? stiffer penalties? more arrests? or tough love tactics employed by the police appear to have a poor success rate and? in most cases do not specifically target risk factors that lead to juvenile ...