An Intervention Program for Male Juvenile Offenders in Turkey: A Pilot Randomized Trial

Researchers have developed various intervention programs to prevent children from committing crimes and from recidivism; however, few intervention programs have been implemented in juvenile detention centers in Turkey. The aim of this study was to examine the effectiveness of a psychoeducation program to improve the social skills of juvenile offenders. The participants consisted of 38 male adolescents aged 13 to 18 years (M = 17.02, SD = 1.14) randomly assigned to intervention (n = 19) and comparison (n = 19) groups. The results demonstrated that the interaction effects between the group and time were significant for communication and empathy skills. The intervention program prevented declines in empathy skills among program participants, while empathy skills decreased in the comparison group. The participants also improved their communication skills, while comparison group members' communication skills declined over time. Considering the limited number of intervention programs discussed in the literature, this study provides preliminary support for the literature on intervention programs.

Criminal offense charges in women: A 10-year follow-up of an RCT of treatment foster care Oregon

OBJECTIVE

The prevention of delinquency can have long-term benefits for both the individual and society. Previous work has demonstrated positive effects of Treatment Foster Care Oregon (TFCO) on reducing delinquency across a 2-year period for adolescent females involved in the juvenile justice system. The present study examined whether the effects of TFCO are present across a 10-year period, and whether criminal offenses accrued in the juvenile justice system mediate the association between intervention condition and cumulative criminal offenses through emerging adulthood.

METHOD

The sample included 166 women (68% non-Hispanic White) who had been court mandated to out-of-home care as adolescents, randomly assigned to one of two interventions, and followed for an average of 10 years. Juvenile (< 18 years of age) and adult criminal records data were collected and coded for offense severity.

RESULTS

Analyses revealed a significant effect of the TFCO intervention on cumulative criminal offense charge severity across the 10-year follow-up period (β = -.15, p < .05). This effect was mediated by offense charges that occurred after the baseline assessment and prior to Age 18, as shown through a significant indirect effect, β = -.09, p < .05, suggesting the importance of reductions in juvenile delinquency on later criminal offending.

CONCLUSIONS

Intensive out-of-home interventions that reduce juvenile offenses for youth with chronic delinquency may have sustained effects on adult criminality. Implications for prevention programs for female adolescents are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Echoing Mechanism of Juvenile Delinquency Prevention and Occupational Therapy Education Guidance Based on Artificial Intelligence

In this paper, in-depth research and analysis of juvenile delinquency prevention and occupational therapy education guidance using artificial intelligence are conducted, and its response mechanism is designed in this way. Two crime type prediction algorithms based on time-crime type count vectorization and dense neural network and crime type prediction based on the fusion of dense neural network and long- and short-term memory neural network are proposed. The outputs of both are fed into a new neural network for training to achieve the fusion of the two neural networks. Among them, the use of the dense neural network can effectively fit the relationship between the constructed features and crime types. The behavioral manifestations and causes of the formation of deviant behavior in adolescents are discussed. They can only read numerical data, but there is a lot of information in the textual data that is closely related to the training effect. When experimenting, it is necessary to extract knowledge and build applications. The practical work with adolescents with deviant behaviors is again carried out from group work and casework, respectively, with problem diagnosis, needs assessment, and service plan development for specific clients, to carry out relevant practical service work. The causes of juvenile delinquency in the Internet culture are discussed in terms of the Internet environment, juvenile use of the Internet, Internet supervision, and crime prevention education, respectively. The fourth chapter focuses on the analysis of the prevention and control measures for juvenile delinquency in cyberculture. In response to the above-mentioned causes of juvenile delinquency in cyberculture, the prevention and control measures are discussed in four aspects, namely, strengthening the construction of cyberculture and building a healthy cyber environment, strengthening the capacity building of guiding juveniles to use cyber correctly, building a prevention and supervision system to promote the improvement of the legal system, and improving and innovating the crime prevention education in the cyber era.

A Community-Based Youth Diversion Program as an Alternative to Incarceration, Illinois, 2017-2019

The US justice system unfairly targets youths of color; systemic reform plus interventions to keep youths out of the justice system are needed. The Juvenile Justice Collaborative provided care coordination and wraparound services to adolescents in a diversion program from 2017 to 2019 in Cook County, Illinois. Youths showed increased strengths and decreased needs by program's end. Youths who successfully completed the program showed reduced recidivism compared with nonprogram youths. Community-based alternatives to incarceration may decrease life disruption, promote positive health and social outcomes, and reduce further justice involvement. (Am J Public Health. 2022;112(9):1265-1268. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2022.306946).

Psychological Characteristics and Health Behavior for Juvenile Delinquency Groups

The related literature is studied to explore the psychological characteristics of juvenile delinquency groups and implement their psychological characteristics model for the intervention of health behavior. Drawing on the results of current literature research, the Youth Psychological Characteristics Crime Prevention Questionnaire (YPPQ) was compiled, which can be simply referred to as the Crime Prevention Questionnaire. The whole psychological characteristics of juvenile delinquency are analyzed by means of a questionnaire. Firstly, the YPPQ scores of different groups were compared, and a structured interview was conducted on the reasons for the crime of the problem youth group. Secondly, data analysis was carried out on the results of questionnaires and interviews, and the psychological characteristics of juvenile delinquency were summarized. A "mixed hierarchical intervention model" was proposed to intervene in the mental health behavior of juvenile delinquency groups, and corresponding intervention strategies were also proposed. The results reveal that through the questionnaire survey, the educational background of juvenile subjects was generally distributed in middle school, the number of juveniles with primary school education was less than 30% of the juvenile delinquency groups, the middle school education accounted for more than 60% of the juvenile delinquency groups, and the approximate age was about 18 years old. The largest number in each group were adolescents with secondary school education, indicating the importance of psychological education on crime prevention for adolescents in secondary school. By comparing the YPPQ test scores of different groups, the adolescent group has higher test scores than the juvenile delinquency groups in five of the dimensions. Through the comparative analysis of the YPPQ test results of the juvenile delinquency groups, the problem youth group, and the normal youth group, it is found that the YPPQ has high reliability and validity, so its detection and evaluation are highly feasible. By comparing the odds ratio (OR) of each question in the YPPQ test between the experimental group and the control group, it is found that the psychological characteristics of the experimental group are significantly affected by family, school, and even society. Finally, it proposes a "mixed hierarchical intervention model" for juvenile delinquency to intervene in health behaviors. The purpose is to provide some research ideas for the study of the psychological characteristics of juvenile delinquency groups and to put forward some suggestions for the prevention of juvenile delinquency and the intervention of health behavior.

Remote delivery of a therapeutic intervention to court-mandated youths of Haitian descent during COVID-19

The threat generated by the COVID-19 pandemic has triggered sudden institutional changes in an effort to reduce viral spread. Restrictions on group gatherings and in-person engagement have increased the demand for remote service delivery. These restrictions have also affected the delivery of court-mandated interventions. However, much of the literature has focused on populations that voluntarily seek out face-to-face medical care or mental health services, whereas insufficient attention has been paid to telehealth engagement of court-mandated populations. This article draws on data gathered on an NIH/NIDA-funded study intervention implemented with juvenile justice-involved youths of Haitian heritage in Miami-Dade County, Florida, during the COVID-19 public health crisis. We explore the process of obtaining consent, technological access issues, managing privacy, and other challenges associated with remote delivery of family-based therapy to juvenile justice-involved youth. Our aim is to provide some insights for consideration by therapists, healthcare workers, advocates, researchers, and policymakers tasked with finding alternative and safer ways to engage nontraditional populations in health services. The clinical trial registration number is NCT03876171.

Systematic review and meta-analysis of noninstitutional psychosocial interventions to prevent juvenile criminal recidivism

OBJECTIVE

To assess the effectiveness of noninstitutional psychosocial interventions in preventing recidivism among criminal adolescents.

METHOD

We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized and nonrandomized controlled trials assessing the impact on recidivism among juveniles aged 12-17. The included studies had a low to medium risk of bias and were published between 2000 and 2019. Standardized mean differences or risk differences were calculated.

RESULTS

We included 35 (20 randomized, 15 nonrandomized) studies evaluating 17 unique, noninstitutional psychosocial interventions. A meta-analysis found no significant reductions in recidivism for studied interventions compared to control conditions. Although single studies suggested some positive effects, the evidence provided by these studies was found to have very low certainty. Post hoc analyses indicated that studies including a low-intensity control condition might have stronger relative intervention effects compared to studies with medium or high-intensity control conditions.

CONCLUSION

This systematic review did not find any one noninstitutional psychosocial intervention to be more effective than control treatments in reducing future criminality among juvenile offenders aged 12-17. We discuss the implications of the present findings for social work and child and adolescent psychiatry practices. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Preventing school-based arrest and recidivism through prearrest diversion: Outcomes of the Philadelphia police school diversion program

OBJECTIVES

Created to combat the school-to-prison pipeline, the Philadelphia Police School Diversion Program offers voluntary community-based services to eligible youth accused of minor school-based offeses in lieu of arrest. This study evaluated program effectiveness in accomplishing goals related to reductions in school-based arrests, serious behavioral incidents, and recidivism.

HYPOTHESES

We expected the annual number of school-based arrests in Philadelphia schools to decrease over the program's first 5 years and predicted that the annual number of serious behavioral incidents would not increase. Further, we expected that diverted youth-compared to youth arrested in schools the year before Diversion Program implementation-would have significantly lower rates of recidivism arrests in the 2 years following their school-based incidents.

METHOD

Using a quasi-experimental design, we examined data from 2,302 public school students (67.0% male; 76.1% Black; age range: 10-22 years) who were either diverted from arrest through the Diversion Program or arrested in Philadelphia schools in the year prior to Diversion Program implementation. We compared rate of recidivism arrest, number of arrests, and time to arrest between diverted and arrested youth. We also used district-wide descriptive statistics to examine 5-year trends in school-based arrests and serious behavioral incidents.

RESULTS

Since program implementation, the annual number of school-based arrests in Philadelphia has declined by 84% and the number of serious behavioral incidents has declined by 34%. Diverted youth demonstrated less recidivism than arrested youth in the 2 years following their initial incident; however, after propensity score matching, we no longer observed significant differences.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings indicate that a prearrest diversion program can safely reduce school-based arrests and suggest a need for future research regarding the role of demographic and incident-related characteristics in recidivism outcomes. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Partners or adversaries? The relation between juvenile diversion supervision and parenting practices

OBJECTIVE

Based on guiding principles such as parens patriae, juvenile probation officers (JPOs) not only supervise youth, but in certain jurisdictions they also decide how control-oriented their conditions will be. JPOs' perceptions of parenting could be related to their decision making. This study examined: (a) whether JPOs' perceptions of the home were associated with the conditions they placed on youth; (b) if JPOs' perceptions of the home aligned with the youths' perceptions; and (c) if JPOs' control-oriented conditions were associated with changes in parenting practices.

HYPOTHESES

(H1) JPOs' perceptions of the home should be positively related to youths' perceptions of parenting practices. (H2) JPOs' perceptions of the home should be positively associated with the conditions imposed. (H3) JPOs' control-oriented conditions may be positively associated with increased parental supervision, yet they may also be associated with lessened parental supervision.

METHOD

The sample consisted of 265 male youth (mean age = 15.41; 76.6% Latino, 19.25% White, 0.75% Black) who were arrested for the first time and placed on supervised diversion.

RESULTS

Latent class analyses indicated that there were three supervision conditions classes: standard, moderate, and high control. JPOs' perceptions of the home did not align with youths' perceptions of parenting practices (e.g., rule setting, curfew setting, and monitoring) yet they were the strongest predictor of receiving the most control-oriented conditions. Surprisingly, parental rule setting, curfew setting, and monitoring declined once youth were placed under supervision, and declines did not differ based on how control-oriented their official conditions were.

CONCLUSIONS

Parents are thought to be vital in justice-involved youths' success. Yet within this sample, officers' perceptions of the family did not align with youths' perceptions. Further, parental supervision declined equally regardless of how control-oriented youths' supervision conditions were. Parents must be better integrated into the process to enhance the success of youth on community supervision. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Can We Uncouple Neighborhood Disadvantage and Delinquent Behaviors? An Experimental Test of Family Resilience Guided by the Social Disorganization Theory of Delinquent Behaviors

Although the influence of neighborhood disadvantage on youth development of delinquent behavior is well established, findings from this research have yet to inform the development of family-centered prevention programming to protect youth from these erosive effects. The current paper examines the role of family integration in buffering the impact of social disadvantage in a sample of N = 298 families randomly assigned either to a control condition or to a family-based prevention program previously shown to enhance marriage and parenting. We first confirmed that neighborhood concentrated disadvantage predicted change in delinquent behaviors across the course of the study. Additionally, replicating prior work, parents participating in the Protecting Strong African American Families (ProSAAF) program, relative to those randomly assigned to the control group, significantly improved their use of effective communication strategies with each other and reduced ineffective conflict in front of youth. This resulted in a significant indirect effect of ProSAAF on change in youth delinquent behaviors. Furthermore, using mediated moderation analysis, the study tested the buffering effect of greater family integration, showing that experimentally produced change in interparental communication skills and the resulting reduction in youth exposure to parental conflict buffered the effect of neighborhood disadvantage on change in youth delinquent behaviors, supporting a mediated moderation model in which family environments buffer neighborhood effects.

Predictive validity of the Structured Assessment of Violence Risk in Youth (SAVRY) among a sample of Asian Canadian youth on probation

OBJECTIVE

Although past studies suggest that the Structured Assessment of Violence Risk in Youth (SAVRY; Borum et al., 2006) has moderate predictive validity, its predictive validity with Asian youth in Western countries is unknown. We therefore compared the SAVRY's predictive validity in a sample of Asian Canadian versus White Canadian youth.

HYPOTHESES

Given that the SAVRY is normed on samples comprising mostly youth who are White, we expected its predictive validity for recidivism would be lower for Asian Canadians than White Canadians.

METHOD

We examined youth probation officers' SAVRY assessments for 573 youth (445 White Canadians, 56 East/Southeast Asian Canadians, and 72 South Asian Canadians) on community supervision (i.e. probation) in a Canadian province. Youth were prospectively followed for an average of 1.97 years (SD = 0.56 years) to determine if they were subsequently charged with violent or nonviolent offenses.

RESULTS

Asian Canadians scored significantly lower on risk total scores compared to White Canadians. Predictive validity for violent and nonviolent recidivism fell in the medium to large range for East/Southeast Asian Canadians (AUCs = .69 to .89) and South Asian Canadians (AUCs = .64 to .83). In comparison, predictive validity for White Canadians was generally lower (AUCs = .63 to .77; small to large range). Risk total scores and nonviolent risk ratings significantly predicted nonviolent recidivism better for East/Southeast Asian Canadians (AUCs = .89 and .87, respectively) than White Canadians (AUCs = .77 and .71, respectively). Despite few significant differences between Asian subgroups, predictive validity for nonviolent risk ratings was significantly higher in East/Southeast Asian Canadians (AUC = .87) than South Asian Canadians (AUC = .64).

CONCLUSIONS

The SAVRY may be a useful tool for predicting recidivism with Asian Canadians. However, future research should examine the SAVRY's predictive validity for youth of Asian descent in different countries and contexts. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Collaborative Responses to Commercial Sexual Exploitation as a Model of Smart Decarceration

Historically, youths who are affected by commercial sexual exploitation (CSE) in the United States have been implicated as perpetrators of crime and overrepresented in the juvenile justice system. As an intriguing example of the "smart decarceration" social work grand challenge, policy and practice initiatives have converged to decriminalize cisgender girls and young women experiencing CSE by reframing them as victims of exploitation rather than as criminals. To date, these efforts have largely focused on gender-specific programming for cisgender girls and young women. In this article, the authors describe how federal, state, and local policy and practice innovations have supported reframing CSE as a form of child maltreatment and rerouted girls and young women from the juvenile justice system to specialized services. Using Los Angeles County as a case example, the authors detail how innovative prevention, intervention, and aftercare programs can serve as models of smart decarceration for CSE-affected cisgender girls and young women with the potential to address the needs of youths with diverse gender and sexual identities.

Does a Close Relationship With an Adult Reduce the Risk of Juvenile Offending for Youth With a History of Maltreatment?

Social support is frequently cited as a protective factor against juvenile offending. The current study examined whether a close relationship with an adult in childhood decreases the risk for offending among individuals with a history of child maltreatment. This research utilized data from a prospective cohort design study in which children with court-substantiated cases of abuse and neglect and nonmaltreated children matched on age, sex, race, and approximate family social class were followed into adulthood (N = 1,196). Having a close relationship with an adult did not decrease risk for delinquent behavior or arrest, but a close relationship with a parent was associated with lower risk for delinquent behavior. Surprisingly, adults with no history of maltreatment who reported having a close relationship with a peer or sibling were more likely to report engaging in violent behavior in adolescence. In total, these findings point to the complexity of development and suggest that although a close relationship with an adult can be protective, the mere presence of such a relationship, without inquiry into the type of relationship, is not sufficient.

Public Health Benefits 16 Years After a Statewide Policy Change: Communities That Care in Pennsylvania

Communities That Care (CTC), an evidence-based prevention system, has been installed outside of a research context in over 500 communities worldwide. Yet, its effectiveness in a non-research context is unknown. Using a repeated cross-sectional design with propensity score weighting at the school district-level, the purpose of this study was to examine the effect of widespread diffusion of CTC across Pennsylvania on adolescent substance use, delinquency, and depression. Anonymous youth survey data were collected from 6th, 8th, 10th, and 12th grade students every other year from 2001 to 2011. Three-hundred eighty-eight school districts participated in one to six waves of data collection during that time, resulting in a total of 470,798 student-reported observations. The intervention school districts received programming provided by CTC coalitions. Outcome measures were lifetime and past 30-day alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, and other drug use. Lifetime and past year participation in delinquency and current depressive symptoms were also analyzed. Analyses revealed that CTC school districts had significantly lower levels of adolescent substance use, delinquency, and depression. This effect was small to moderate, depending on the particular outcome studied. Overall effects became stronger after accounting for use of evidence-based programs; there are likely differences in implementation quality and other factors that contribute to the observed overall small effect size. Future research needs to unpack these factors.

Criminogenic Needs as Intervening Factors in the Relation Between Insecure Attachments and Youth Sexual Violence

There is a strong theoretical and research base demonstrating the link between attachment styles and adolescent sexual offending. However, this relationship may be best explained by deficit-based mediational pathways including criminogenic needs such as emotional or affect regulation and callousness. Grady, Levenson, and Bolder propose a framework that details criminogenic needs as intermediary variables in the attachment-sexual offending relationship. Using data on adolescents adjudicated of sexual and nonsexual crimes in a Western state (N = 200), two structural equation models (SEM) tested direct and indirect relationships between ambivalent and avoidant attachment styles (in separate models), dysregulation including cognitive and behavioral transitions, emotional control, and inhibited/impulsive behaviors, callousness, delinquency, and offending type (sexual or nonsexual offending). Results revealed statistically significant direct pathways between variables of interest and a multimediational effect of dysregulation and callousness in the relationship between insecure attachments and sexual offending. Treatment, policy, and research implications are discussed.

Methodological strategies for evaluating youth gang prevention programs

This article reflects on common challenges and lessons learned during the evaluation of gang prevention programs based on case studies of three federally funded Canadian programs. Elements of evaluation design, implementation, data analysis and reporting of results are discussed. More specifically, the article highlights issues that occur when evaluating community projects focused on preventing extreme risks for violence and the complexity of working in potentially dangerous and/or unstable work environments. Topics covered include the problem with quasi-experimental designs, model fidelity adherence, program documentation, client recruitment and retention, and data collection. Recommendations are provided to improve evaluations of youth gang prevention programs and similar community-based interventions that focus on the prevention of youth violence.

Psychometric properties of the Community Violence-Prevention Activation Measure (CV-PAM): Evaluating provider activation toward community violence prevention

This study reports on the conceptualization of activation, and the development and psychometrics of the Community Violence-Prevention Activation Measure (CV-PAM). The CV-PAM was adapted from the Patient Activation Measure (PAM; Hibbard et al., 2004, Health Serv Res, 39, 1005-1026; Hibbard et al., 2005, Health Serv Res, 40, 1918-1930) for use among a workforce servicing youth exposed to community violence. Activation toward community violence prevention is defined as a process in which community members are activated to prevent violence, believe they have important roles to play in violence prevention and supporting the well-being of community members. Activated community members have a good understanding of the factors that contribute to violence and they apply skills and strategies that are consistent with prevention efforts. Six hundred and ninety-four youth providers completed the 18-item CV-PAM to describe their level of activation toward community violence. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were performed and demonstrated that a three factor versus a four factor structure of activation (modeled after PAM) held together. The three factors included (a) belief that an active role is important to address community violence; (b) having the confidence and knowledge to take action around community violence prevention; (c) taking action: frequency of participation and responsiveness to community needs. The proposed fourth factor, staying the course under stress, did not have any qualifying loadings, and thus, could not be interpreted. CV-PAM performed well in tests of reliability and validity. The CV-PAM appears to be a precise, valid, reliable, and useful measure. Implications suggest that using this tool is potentially the first step toward understanding activation among engaged providers and a stepping stone toward increased involvement in community violence prevention through implementation and dissemination efforts.

Parent Psychological Distress: A Moderator of Behavioral Health Intervention Outcomes among Justice-Involved Adolescents

We examined whether pre-existing parent psychological distress moderated juvenile offenders' substance use, sexual risk, and mental health outcomes in a randomized trial. Forty-seven parent-adolescent dyads received either Family-based Affect Management Intervention (FAMI) for adolescent substance use and HIV prevention or adolescent-only Health Promotion Intervention (HPI). Parents' self-reported distress at baseline significantly moderated adolescents' self-reported marijuana use and alcohol use but not other outcomes at 3 months postintervention, producing crossover interactions. FAMI outperformed HPI when parents reported high-level distress, whereas HPI outperformed FAMI when parents reported low-level distress. This finding that the relative efficacy of interventions depends on the severity of parent psychological distress could inform efforts to match substance-using, justice-involved adolescents with the intervention most likely to benefit them.

Association of a Park-Based Violence Prevention and Mental Health Promotion After-School Program With Youth Arrest Rates

This cohort study estimates the association of a park-based violence prevention and mental health promotion after-school program with youth arrest rates in Miami-Dade County, Florida.

Delinquency, School Context, and Risk Factors in India, Australia, and the United States: Implications for Prevention

There is a dearth of research on delinquency, school context, and risk factors across developed and developing nations. Using representative samples and matched surveys, we examined delinquency among cohorts in Mumbai, India (N = 3,717); Victoria, Australia (N = 1,842); and Washington State (WA), United States (N = 1,828). We used multivariate Poisson hierarchical linear modeling. Risk factor and delinquency levels varied across sites. Delinquency clustered within certain schools, particularly in Mumbai. Community disorganization exhibited an association with delinquency as a school-level context effect in Mumbai and Victoria. Peer delinquency, sensation seeking, and poor family management exhibited cross-nationally consistent associations with delinquency. Programs that target schools, the clustering of problem behaviors, and cross-nationally consistent risk factors should be considered internationally.

Can Machine Learning Improve Screening for Targeted Delinquency Prevention Programs?

The cost-effectiveness of targeted delinquency prevention programs for children depends on the accuracy of the screening process. Screening accuracy is often poor, resulting in wasted resources and missed opportunities to avert negative outcomes. This study examined whether screening approaches based on logistic regression or machine learning algorithms could improve accuracy relative to traditional sum-score approaches when identifying boys in the 5th grade (N = 1012) who would be repeatedly arrested for violent and serious crimes from ages 13 to 30. Screening algorithms were developed that incorporated facets of teacher-reported externalizing problems and other known risk factors (e.g., peer rejection). The predictive performance of these algorithms was evaluated and compared in holdout (i.e., test) data using the area under the receiver operating curve (AUROC) and Brier score. Both the logistic and machine learning methods yielded AUROC superior to traditional sum-score screening approaches when a broad set of risk factors for future delinquency was considered. However, this improvement was modest and was not present when using item-level information from a composite scale assessing externalizing problems. Contrary to expectations, machine learning algorithms performed no better than simple logistic models. There was a large apparent advantage of machine learning that disappeared after appropriate cross-validation, underscoring the importance of careful evaluation of these methods. Results suggest that screening using logistic regression could improve the cost-effectiveness of targeted delinquency prevention programs in some cases, but screening using machine learning would confer no marginal benefit under currently realistic conditions.

Protecting youth from gang membership: Individual and school-level emotional competence

The current study examined the association between adolescent emotional competence, operationalized and measured at both the individual and the school levels, and gang membership. The study involved a sample of 12,040 students (51.4% females; mean = 16.9 years) participating in the biennial state department of education coordinated California Healthy Kids Survey, which assesses a range of adolescent health-related behaviors. Hierarchical linear modeling indicated that higher levels of individual emotional competence were associated with a lower likelihood of identifying as a gang member. Moreover, a stronger negative association between emotional competence and identifying as a gang member was found when emotional competence was operationalized at the school level. Implications include the role of schools in promoting emotional regulation, empathy, and behavioral regulation of their entire student body as part of an overall strategy to reduce individual student's attraction to gangs.

Exploring the Impact of an AVRS Curfew Program on Recidivism of Juvenile Probationers in Korea

Community corrections agencies across the world have adopted biometric technologies as a security tool and cost-effective monitoring strategy. This study investigates the effectiveness of the automated voiceprint recognition supervision (AVRS) curfew program for 386 Korean juvenile probationers from the Seoul Probation Office. Although the AVRS curfew program in Korea has been in effect for more than 14 years, effectiveness of the program has not been fully tested. A propensity score analysis was conducted to assess the effectiveness of the AVRS program, controlling for potential covariates of referring juveniles to the program. Contrary to expectations, a logistic regression analysis demonstrated that the innovative curfew program is a statistically significant factor in increasing the odds of recidivism. The article concludes with a discussion of implications for court-ordered juvenile curfew programs.

The Long-Term Effects of the Youth Crime Prevention Program "New Perspectives" on Delinquency and Recidivism

New Perspectives (NP) aims to prevent persistent criminal behavior. We examined the long-term effectiveness of NP and whether the effects were moderated by demographic and delinquency factors. At-risk youth aged 12 to 19 years were randomly assigned to the intervention group (NP, n = 47) or care as usual (CAU, n = 54). Official and self-report data were collected to assess recidivism. NP was not more effective in reducing delinquency levels and recidivism than CAU. Also, no moderator effects were found. The overall null effects are discussed, including further research and policy implications.

Juvenile probation officers' evaluation of traumatic event exposures and traumatic stress symptoms as responsivity factors in risk assessment and case planning

Juvenile probation officers (JPOs) are increasingly using risk/needs assessments to evaluate delinquency risk, identify criminogenic needs and specific responsivity factors, and use this information in case planning. Justice-involved youth are exposed to traumatic events and experience traumatic stress symptoms at a high rate; such information warrants attention during the case planning process. The extent to which JPOs identify specific responsivity factors, in general, and trauma history, specifically, when scoring risk/need assessments is understudied. In the current study, 147 JPOs reviewed case vignettes that varied by the adolescents' gender (male vs. female), traumatic event exposure (present vs. absent), and traumatic stress symptoms (present vs. absent), and then scored the YLS/CMI and developed case plans based on that information. JPOs who received a vignette that included trauma information identified a higher number of trauma-specific responsivity factors on the YLS/CMI. Despite an overall high needs match ratio (57.2%), few JPOs prioritized trauma as a target on case plans. The findings underscore the importance of incorporating trauma screening into risk/needs assessment and case planning. (PsycINFO Database Record

Predictors of Intervention Success in a Sports-Based Program for Adolescents at Risk of Juvenile Delinquency

To prevent juvenile delinquency, there is growing interest in the use of sports-based interventions. To date, there is little empirical research that provides insights into for whom, how, and when sports-based crime prevention programs are most effective. Therefore, the current study assessed which youth, coach, and context factors were predictive of change in risk factors and protective factors for delinquency in a sports-based crime prevention program for at-risk adolescents. Participants ( N = 155) and their teachers filled in questionnaires about risk and protective factors for delinquency at the start of the intervention and 13 months later. In addition, the coaches and participants filled in questionnaires about the predictors of intervention success. The youths showed significant improvements over the course of the intervention. Various youth, coach, and context factors (e.g., the type of education of youth and the sociomoral climate at the sports club) were associated to change in the outcome variables.

Multidimensional Family Therapy Reduces Self-Reported Criminality Among Adolescents With a Cannabis Use Disorder

Multidimensional family therapy (MDFT) is an established treatment program for youth displaying multiproblem behavior. We examined whether MDFT decreased criminal offending among cannabis abusing adolescents, as compared with individual psychotherapy (IP). In a Western European randomized controlled trial comparing MDFT with IP, a sample of 169 adolescents with a cannabis disorder completed self-reports on criminal offending. Half indicated they had committed one or more criminal offenses in the 90 days before the baseline assessment. Follow-up assessments were at 6 and 12 months after randomization. The proportion of adolescents reporting nondelinquency increased during the study period, most so in the MDFT condition. In addition, MDFT lowered the number of violent offenses more than IP. This difference was not seen for property crimes. In cannabis abusing adolescents, MDFT is an effective treatment to prevent and reduce criminal offending. MDFT outperforms IP for violent crimes.

Examining the Effects of Intensive Supervision and Aftercare Programs for At-Risk Youth: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Community correctional sentences are administered to more juvenile offenders in North America than any other judicial sentence. Particularly prominent in juvenile corrections is intensive supervision probation and aftercare/reentry, yet the effects of these supervision-oriented interventions on recidivism are mixed. The purpose of this meta-analysis is to determine the effects of intensive supervision probation and aftercare/reentry on juvenile recidivism. An extensive search of the literature and application of strict inclusion criteria resulted in the selection of 27 studies that contributed 55 individual effect sizes. Studies were pooled based on intervention type (intensive supervision probation or aftercare/reentry) and outcome measure (alleged or convicted offenses). The pooled analyses yielded contradictory results with respect to outcome measure; in both cases, supervision had a beneficial effect on alleged offenses and negatively affected convicted offenses. These patterns across intervention type and outcome measure, as well as recommendations for future research, are discussed.

Comparison of recidivism rates for a teenage trauma prevention program after the addition of high-fidelity patient simulation

OBJECTIVES

We evaluated the benefits of adding high-fidelity simulation to a teenage trauma prevention program to decrease recidivism rates and encourage teens to discuss actionable steps toward safe driving.

METHODS

A simulated pediatric trauma scenario was integrated into an established trauma prevention program. Participants were recruited because they were court-ordered to attend this program after misdemeanor convictions for moving violations. The teenage participants viewed this simulation from the emergency medical services (EMS) handoff to complete trauma care. Participants completed a postsimulation knowledge assessment and care evaluation, which included narrative data about the experience. Qualitative analysis of color-coded responses identified common themes and experiences in participants' answers. Court records were reviewed 6 years after course completion to determine short- and long-term recidivism rates, which were then compared to our program's historical rate.

RESULTS

One hundred twenty-four students aged 16-20 years participated over a 2-year study period. Narrative responses included general reflection, impressions, and thoughts about what they might change as a result of the course. Participants reported that they would decrease speed (30%), wear seat belts (15%), decrease cell phone use (11%), and increase caution (28%). The recidivism rate was 55% within 6 years. At 6 months it was 8.4%, at 1 year it was 20%, and it increased approximately 5-8% per year after the first year. Compared with our programs, for historical 6-month and 2-year recidivism rates, no significant difference was seen with or without simulation.

CONCLUSIONS

Adding simulation is well received by participants and leads to positive reflections regarding changes in risk-taking behaviors but resulted in no changes to the high recidivism rates This may be due to the often ineffectiveness of fear appeals.

Social Work Contribution to Desistance Among At-Risk Youth

Desistance as a process to forgo delinquent habits is an important target for intervention into youth at risk of delinquency. The intervention through social work services, nevertheless, has not clearly demonstrated its effectiveness. For such a demonstration, the present study examines the contribution of social work services with reference to the voluntaristic theory of action. The theory suggests that promoting the youth's voluntarism underlying desistance, encompassing appreciation, facilitation, observation, and identification concerning desistance is essential. The suggestion leads to the hypothesis that social work services promote the youth's desistance through the promotion of voluntarism for desistance. This hypothesis gets support from this study of 586 at-risk youths in Hong Kong, with data collected from both the youths and their responsible social workers. The support implies the value of social work services for sustaining the youth's desistance.

A Two-Week Psychosocial Intervention Reduces Future Aggression and Incarceration in Clinically Aggressive Juvenile Offenders

OBJECTIVE

There is a largely unmet need for evidence-based interventions that reduce future aggression and incarceration in clinically aggressive juvenile offenders serving probation. We addressed this gap using a group randomized controlled trial. Offenders both with and without clinical aggression were included, enabling comparison of intervention effects.

METHOD

Juveniles 13 to 17 years old (N = 310, mean = 16 years, 90% African-American, 66% male) on probation were assigned to a 2-week intervention targeting psychosocial factors implicated in risky behavior (e.g., learning strategies to manage "hot" emotions that prompt risk taking) or to an equally intensive health promotion control. Participants completed aggression measures at baseline, 6-, and 12-month follow-up and reported on incarceration at 12 months. Spline regression tested symptom change.

RESULTS

Among clinically aggressive offenders (n = 71), the intervention arm showed significantly greater reductions in aggression over the first 6 months compared with controls. Juveniles from the intervention no longer met clinical criteria, on average, but clinically significant symptoms persisted in the control group. By 12 months, participants from the intervention appeared to maintain treatment gains, but their symptom levels no longer differed significantly from those in the control. However, the intervention group was nearly 4 times less likely than controls to report incarceration. Intervention effects were significantly stronger for offenders with clinical than with nonclinical (n = 239) baseline aggression.

CONCLUSION

A 2-week intervention expedited improvements in aggression and reduced incarceration in clinically aggressive juvenile offenders. The findings underscore the importance of directing intervention resources to the most aggressive youth. Clinical trial registration information-PHAT Life: Preventing HIV/AIDS Among Teens in Juvenile Justice (PHAT Life); http://clinicaltrials.gov/; NCT02647710.

PROSPER delivery of universal preventive interventions with young adolescents: long-term effects on emerging adult substance misuse and associated risk behaviors

BACKGROUND

Substance misuse and associated health-risking behaviors are prevalent in emerging adulthood. There is a knowledge gap concerning the post-high school effects of community-based delivery systems for universal preventive interventions implemented during young adolescence. This study reports effects of the PROSPER delivery system through age 19, 7.5 years past baseline.

METHODS

A cohort sequential design included 28 public school districts randomly assigned to the PROSPER partnership delivery system or usual-programming conditions. PROSPER community teams implemented a family-focused intervention in 6th grade and a school-based intervention in 7th grade. Outcomes for the age 19, post-high school report included lifetime, current, and frequency of substance misuse, as well as antisocial and health-risking sexual behaviors. Intent-to-treat, multi-level analyses of covariance of point-in-time outcomes were conducted, along with analyses of risk-related moderation of intervention effects.

RESULTS

Results showed emerging adults from PROSPER communities reported significantly lower substance misuse across a range of types of substances, with relative reduction rates of up to 41.0%. No significant findings were observed for associated antisocial and health-risking sexual behavior indices; or for lifetime rates of sexually transmitted infections. Risk-related moderation effects were non-significant, suggesting generally comparable outcomes across higher- and lower-risk subgroups of emerging adults.

CONCLUSIONS

The PROSPER delivery system for brief universal preventive interventions has potential for public health impact by reducing long-term substance misuse, with positive results extending beyond high school.

Mindfulness and meditation as an adjunctive treatment for adolescents involved in the juvenile justice system: Is repairing the brain and nervous system possible?

Adolescents involved in the juvenile justice system are prone to more traumatic events than other adolescents, leaving them in danger of developmental difficulties. Trauma exposure is predictive of poor outcomes including mental and physical health issues as well as criminal activity. Current treatment approaches either have a nominal effect on recidivism rates or increase the likelihood of future criminal offenses. This article explores adolescent brain development, the unique difficulties that juvenile justice youth face, and mindfulness meditation as an adjunctive treatment to system-based treatment. Mindfulness meditation may be a way to redress damage to the brain and facilitate healthy brain development, thus impacting prosocial behavior. Practice implications include integrating mindfulness meditation as an important part of rehabilitative efforts with juvenile justice youth.

Music-making for health and wellbeing in youth justice settings: mediated affordances and the impact of context and social relations

Young people in the criminal justice system experience significant health and wellbeing issues that often stem from poverty and disadvantage and, in turn, are linked with offending and reoffending behaviour. There is ongoing interest in interventions such as participatory music programmes that seek to foster social reintegration, support mental wellbeing and equip young offenders with life skills, competencies and emotional resilience. However, there is a need for a situated understanding of both positive and negative experiences that shape potential outcomes of music projects. This article reports on a research study undertaken between 2010 and 2013 with 118 young people aged 13-21 years across eight youth justice settings in England and Wales. Using mixed methods we explored the experiences of young people and their responses to a participatory music programme led by a national UK arts charity. Here, we explore the impact of young people's encounters with music and musicians with reference to the notion of 'musical affordances' (DeNora , ). We examine the ways that such affordances, including unintended outcomes, are mediated by features of the youth justice environment, including its rules and regulations, as well as issues of power, identity and social relations.

A critical-positive youth development model for intervening with minority youth at risk for delinquency

Minority youths who experience adversity in the forms of concentrated poverty, neighborhood violence, and social marginalization are at increased risk for delinquency. Yet, traditional approaches to reducing delinquency do not typically account for these social-structural risk factors. This article proposes a model of intervening that was developed to address this limitation. The current model was informed by the findings of a 9-month ethnography of a leadership development program for African American youths as well as positive youth development and critical theory frameworks. It delineates the roles of key intervention features in enhancing important assets among minority youths that help them to better navigate adverse social-structural conditions, decrease problem behaviors, and increase prosocial behaviors. (PsycINFO Database Record

London Education and Inclusion Project (LEIP): Results from a Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial of an Intervention to Reduce School Exclusion and Antisocial Behavior

School exclusion as a disciplinary measure remains a controversial issue. In spite of numerous attempts to reduce this practice, no solutions with documented effectiveness exist. This article reports results of a cluster-randomized controlled field trial carried out in 36 schools across London. The trial is an independent evaluation of a 12-week-long intervention, Engage in Education-London (EiE-L), delivered by Catch22. The intervention was aimed at students in secondary school who are most at risk of school exclusion. It targeted their social communication and broader social skills with the aim of reducing school exclusions and problem behaviors. The study employed a multi-informant design that included students and teacher reports as well as official records for exclusions and arrests. Data were analyzed through intent-to-treat analyses based on self-reports from 644 students and 685 teacher reports for students who were nominated for the study and for whom data was available at baseline or post-intervention. At baseline data collection the students ranged in age from 12.85 to 15.03, with M = 14.03; 71 % were male and included a number of ethnic minorities, the largest of which was black African/black Caribbean comprising 40 % of the sample. The results suggested a small but statistically significant negative effect on the primary outcome of exclusion and null effects for the secondary outcomes that measured behavioral and socio-emotional outcomes. The study's findings are discussed in terms of the possible reasons for the null effects and negative (iatrogenic) effect.

Childhood adversity and the risk of substance use and delinquency: The role of protective adult relationships

Youth involved in the child welfare system experience multiple early adversities that can contribute to increased risk of substance use and delinquency. Although adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have been associated with poorer behavioral outcomes among youth, less is known about the possible protective factors that may influence the relationship between early adversity and risk-taking behavior. This study examined whether protective adult relationships moderated the link between cumulative ACEs and substance use and delinquency after controlling for demographic characteristics in child welfare-involved youth. The sample included 1054 youth, ages 11-17, from the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being II who were in the first wave of data collection. Results showed that protective adult relationships moderated the relationship between ACEs and substance use, but not for delinquency. Specifically, under lower levels of protective adult relationships, cumulative ACEs related to increased substance use among youth. Implications for child welfare practices to target youths' support systems are discussed.

Generative Mechanisms in Early Childhood Interventions: A Confirmatory Research Framework for Prevention

This article reviews methodological and analytic approaches and impact evidence for understanding the mechanisms of effects of early childhood interventions, including delinquency and violence prevention. Illustrations from longitudinal studies of preschool preventive interventions are provided. We restrict our attention to preventive interventions for children from birth to age 5, including evidence from the Chicago Longitudinal Study (CLS), which investigates the impact of an established school-based early childhood intervention. Frameworks and evidence will be organized according to the Five-Hypothesis Model (5HM), which postulates that a variety of early childhood interventions impact later well-being through the promotion of cognitive and scholastic advantages, motivational advantages, social adjustment, family support behaviors, and school supports. Recommendations are made for advancing confirmatory approaches for identifying the most effective prevention programs using identification of generative mechanisms as a major methodological criterion.

Cross-Validation of the JSORRAT-II in Iowa

The predictive validity of the Juvenile Sexual Offense Recidivism Risk Assessment Tool-II (JSORRAT-II) was evaluated using an exhaustive sample of 11- to 17-year-old male juveniles who offended sexually (JSOs) between 2000 and 2006 in Iowa (n = 529). The validity of the tool in predicting juvenile sexual recidivism was significant (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve [AUC] = .70, 99% confidence interval [CI] = [.60, .81], d = 0.70). Non-significant predictive validity coefficients were observed for the prediction of non-sexual forms of recidivism. Additional analyses were undertaken to test hypotheses about the tool's performance with various subsamples. The age of the JSO at the time of the index sexual offense and time at risk outside secure facility placements interacted significantly with JSORRAT-II scores to predict juvenile sexual recidivism. The implications of these findings for practice and research on the validation of risk assessment tools are discussed.

Advances in Measurement of Global Risk Indicators in Lives of Court-Involved Youth: Brief Evidence for Concurrent Validity

The present study reports data on the concurrent validity for the Global Risk Assessment Device, a measure of global risk indicators for a sample of 37 families of adolescents who participated in a family-based program designed to divert youth out of the justice system. Significant correlations among three domains of risk (family/parenting, substance use, and personality/behavior problems) and other measures generated preliminary evidence for concurrent validity of this global risk measure.

Being "SMART" About Adolescent Conduct Problems Prevention: Executing a SMART Pilot Study in a Juvenile Diversion Agency

The development of adaptive treatment strategies (ATS) represents the next step in innovating conduct problems prevention programs within a juvenile diversion context. Toward this goal, we present the theoretical rationale, associated methods, and anticipated challenges for a feasibility pilot study in preparation for implementing a full-scale SMART (i.e., sequential, multiple assignment, randomized trial) for conduct problems prevention. The role of a SMART design in constructing ATS is presented. The SMART feasibility pilot study includes a sample of 100 youth (13-17 years of age) identified by law enforcement as early stage offenders and referred for precourt juvenile diversion programming. Prior data on the sample population detail a high level of ethnic diversity and approximately equal representations of both genders. Within the SMART, youth and their families are first randomly assigned to one of two different brief-type evidence-based prevention programs, featuring parent-focused behavioral management or youth-focused strengths-building components. Youth who do not respond sufficiently to brief first-stage programming will be randomly assigned a second time to either an extended parent- or youth-focused second-stage programming. Measures of proximal intervention response and measures of potential candidate tailoring variables for developing ATS within this sample are detailed. Results of the described pilot study will include information regarding feasibility and acceptability of the SMART design. This information will be used to refine a subsequent full-scale SMART. The use of a SMART to develop ATS for prevention will increase the efficiency and effectiveness of prevention programing for youth with developing conduct problems.

Professional caregiver's knowledge of self-reported delinquency in an adolescent sample in Swiss youth welfare and juvenile justice institutions

Since an important goal of the youth welfare system is to prevent troubled adolescents from committing acts of delinquency in future, professional caregivers need to possess accurate knowledge about past behaviors in order to implement appropriate interventions. As part of a comprehensive study on youth in state care, adolescents at 30 residential care facilities in Switzerland were surveyed about past acts of delinquency, and their responses were compared to those of their professional caregivers to see how well they correlated. A sample of 267 male and female adolescents aged 11-18years completed questionnaires about the frequency, nature, and seriousness of different types of offenses, while a designated caregiver for each resident completed a corresponding questionnaire. The majority of residents (86.1%) reported having committed at least one offense, which confirms the prevalence of problem behaviors in this population and the need for strategies to prevent it. The overall rate of agreement between the residents and their caregivers was 77.2%, with both parties reporting that the resident had committed at least one offense in 69.7% of cases, and both reporting that no offense had been committed in 7.5% of cases. Agreement was substantially higher for offenses that were serious than for those that were minor or moderate. Cohen's kappa reached slight to moderate values with regard to individual and categorized offenses. Seriousness scales of delinquency for self-reports and caregiver reports were moderately associated. While the overall rate of agreement between the residents and their caregivers was high, increasing it still further might lead to improvements in strategies for the prevention of recidivism.

Leaving Gangs Behind to Live Parables of Kinship

Fr. Gregory Boyle, SJ, founder and executive director of Homeboy Industries in Los Angeles, can move an audience to tears. He doesn't get that result with the distressing accounts of individuals whose gang activities sank them to harrowing depths. He does it with simple descriptions of how some of those men and women manage to climb rungs of unconditional love to return to their rightful place in the eyes of God.

[ADHD and illegal conduct: a survey in Juvenile Justice Services in Puglia]

OBJECTIVE

The aim of our study was to identify possible risk factors related to carrying out of illegal conducts by minors on their first offense, and any individual variables, family, economic and socio-cultural related to phenomenon also investigated.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The longitudinal study involved the acquisition of a series of biographical information, family, school, behavioral and clinical characteristics of children on their first crime recruited over a year in Puglia Region. For its purpose the study involved the use two standardized clinical scales (Youth Self-Report and Conners Adolescent Self Report Scale). For over a year we proceeded to follow-up.

RESULTS

The survey revealed some variables family, social and school related to antisocial behavior of children in their first contact with the judicial authorities.

CONCLUSIONS

The results confirm the need for primary and secondary prevention of children at risk through mutidisciplinary, early, selective interventions.

A decision support tool to determine cost-to-benefit of a family-centered in-home program for at-risk adolescents

Family-centered program research has demonstrated its effectiveness in improving adolescent outcomes. However, given current fiscal constraints faced by governmental agencies, a recent report from the Institute of Medicine and National Research Council highlighted the need for cost-benefit analyses to inform decision making by policymakers. Furthermore, performance management tools such as balanced scorecards and dashboards do not generally include cost-benefit analyses. In this paper, we describe the development of an Excel-based decision support tool that can be used to evaluate a selected family-based program for at-risk children and adolescents relative to a comparison program or the status quo. This tool incorporates the use of an efficient, user-friendly interface with results provided in concise tabular and graphical formats that may be interpreted without need for substantial training in economic evaluation. To illustrate, we present an application of this tool to evaluate use of Boys Town's In-Home Family Services (IHFS) relative to detention and out-of-home placement in New York City. Use of the decision support tool can help mitigate the need for programs to contract experts in economic evaluation, especially when there are financial or time constraints.

The Development and Validation of an Actuarial Risk Assessment Tool for the Prediction of First-Time Offending

For prevention purposes, it is important that police officers can estimate the risk for delinquency among juveniles who were involved in a criminal offense, but not in the role of a suspect. In the present study, the Youth Actuarial Risk Assessment Tool for First-Time Offending (Y-ARAT-FO) was developed based solely on police records with the aim to enable Dutch police officers to predict the risk for first-time offending. For the construction of this initial screening instrument, an Exhaustive Chi-squared Automatic Interaction Detector (Exhaustive CHAID) analysis was performed on a data set that was retrieved from the Dutch police system. The Y-ARAT-FO was developed on a sample of 1,368 juveniles and validated on a different sample of 886 juveniles showing moderate predictive accuracy in the validation sample (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve [AUC] = .728). The predictive accuracy of the Y-ARAT-FO was considered sufficient to justify its use as an initial screening instrument by the Dutch police.

Constructing "Packages" of Evidence-Based Programs to Prevent Youth Violence: Processes and Illustrative Examples From the CDC's Youth Violence Prevention Centers

This paper describes the strategic efforts of six National Centers of Excellence in Youth Violence Prevention (YVPC), funded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to work in partnership with local communities to create comprehensive evidence-based program packages to prevent youth violence. Key components of a comprehensive evidence-based approach are defined and examples are provided from a variety of community settings (rural and urban) across the nation that illustrate attempts to respond to the unique needs of the communities while maintaining a focus on evidence-based programming and practices. At each YVPC site, the process of selecting prevention and intervention programs addressed the following factors: (1) community capacity, (2) researcher and community roles in selecting programs, (3) use of data in decision-making related to program selection, and (4) reach, resources, and dosage. We describe systemic barriers to these efforts, lessons learned, and opportunities for policy and practice. Although adopting an evidence-based comprehensive approach requires significant upfront resources and investment, it offers great potential for preventing youth violence and promoting the successful development of children, families and communities.