LAW

Juvenile Probation Programs

Juvenile Probation Programs

Operation Night Light

One of the most highly publicized community programs designed to combat youth crime is Operation Night Light in Boston, Mass. The program, begun in 1992, has earned an enviable record unmatched by any other U.S. city with more than 500,000 people. Not a single juvenile has been convicted of homicide in Boston since July 1995. Juvenile arrests for assault with a firearm dropped 65% from 1993 to 1995.

Under Operation Night Light, probation officers visit the homes of juvenile criminals to make sure the terms of their probation are followed. In the companion program, Operation Cease-fire, various agencies present a unified front against the city's gangs. Punishment for the worst offenders, meanwhile, has been stiffened. Cooperation between the U.S. Attorney, Drug Enforcement Administration, Suffolk County District Attorney and local black churches has led to a number of successes. The city's Youth Violence Task Force acts as the clearinghouse for all information collected on gangs and violent juvenile crime (Llacuna & Knight, 1985).

Boston is the first city in the country to interrupt the cycle of violence that began with crack [cocaine]," said David Kennedy of Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass. While the city's approach has earned the praise of President Clinton (D), Attorney General Janet Reno and law enforcement officials across the country, police officials in Boston are not claiming victory. "If we let up, the homicides could come right back again," explained police sergeant Kathleen Johnston. "They are like a chronic disease (Wassenberg, 2002).

Juvenile Boot Camp

As courts and legislation have toughened standards of punishment for juvenile offenders, there has also been a rise in experimental programs that are designed to act as alternatives or supplements to traditional incarceration. Many of those programs receive government funding,

Some programs, called workforce development programs, provide job training to incarcerated juveniles in an attempt to prepare them for employment. The programs teach a variety of subjects, from technical skills in areas like construction and automobile maintenance to more general workplace behavior and etiquette. Other programs provide assistance to juveniles who want to further their education, and some emphasize adult mentoring for at-risk youth. In September 2002, the Justice Department announced that it would provide more than $14 million in grant money for juvenile mentoring programs.

Advocates of youth outreach programs point to a 2002 report by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, a charity that works with disadvantaged children. The report found that while the average rate of repeat offenses (recidivism rate) in juvenile justice institutions was 50% to 70%, the recidivism rate for four of the 15 workforce development programs examined was below 20%. Supporters argue that providing juveniles with the skills and opportunities for productive careers makes them less likely to become further involved in crime.

"If young people have a little money in their pockets and are productively occupied in employment activities, they're less likely to commit delinquent acts and more likely to be productive members of society," says David Brown, executive director of the National Youth Employment Coalition, ...