adequate. One effective approach to providing housing is the concept of "scattered site housing" in metropolitan areas. Scatter site housing is public construction of a few units of low income housing in middle class residential areas. Large low income housing projects have proved to be very expensive and are sometimes thought to be a social failure. The housing plan that is chosen should be an integral part of a community's delinquency prevention program. Good housing provides a safe and healthy environment in which to rear children and eliminates conditions which are conducive to criminal activity. Related Standards 1.111-1.114 Organization of the Local Juvenile Service System Focal Point: Social Institutions Area of Emphasis: Provision of programs by law enforcement agencies to Commentary This strategy recognizes the important contribution that policemen walking a beat can have in juvenile delinquency prevention. These patrols serve two prevention functions. By walking a beat, a police officer maintains a constant but not unnecessarily obtrusive surveillance of an area. His presence is a reminder to those who would commit crime that the chances for successful completion of the act are small, while the risks Related Strategies Secondly, the presence of an officer familiar with the juveniles and aware of the problems of the neighborhood, creates an atmosphere where positive interaction between Focal Point Individual: Cor. Rc-1 Expansion of Recreational Opportunities Cor. J-1 Cor. Rc-1 Police-Youth Relations Expansion of Recreational Opportunities Focal Point: Social Institutions Area of Emphasis: School-Based Deterrence The provision of school-based programs to youth concerning the purposes, operation, and regulations of the juvenile justice system. Commentary The school as a social institution has a profound effect on juveniles. Juveniles spend so much of their time in school that it is imperative to use the school as a resource for prevention of delinquency and child neglect. See generally Westinghouse National Issues Center, Delinquency Prevention: Theories and Strategies (draft, April 1979). By establishing schoolbased programs to teach the purpose, operation, and regulations regarding the juvenile justice system, children can begin to see the importance of maintaining social tranquility. Further, some juveniles made aware of the implications of delinquent activity, the chances of detection, and the threat of punishment, may be deterred from committing crime. School-based deterrence programs provide a neutral setting in which juvenile justice personnel and juveniles can meet to discuss the positive elements of the juvenile justice system. This is an essential ingredient for building trust and respect for the law. At the same time, juvenile justice personnel who participate in these programs may gain insight into the problems of youth that may assist them in their work. The most common of these programs are those which invite the police officer, attorney, or judge to school to address the school body. Police officers also lecture on traffic and bicycle safety and conduct precinct and/or court tours. Another type of program which may be initiated by a local police department involves the permanent assignment of a police officer to a school. Attitudes of police officers and juveniles toward each other may improve if the police officer is seen as an unofficial counselor or confidante. See Institute of Judicial Administration/American Bar Association Joint Commission on Juvenile Justice Standards, Standards Relating to Police Handling of Juvenile Problems, Standard 4.2 and Commentary (1977). See also National Advisory Committee on Criminal Justice Standards and Goals, Report of the Task Force on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Standard 3.32 (1978). Participation in seminars can also improve communications between schools and social service. agencies. One of the more exciting programs now in existence is the National Street Law Institute located in Washington, D.C. Funded in part by LEAA and supported by the American Bar Association Special Committee on Youth Education for Citizenship, the program utilizes law students and specially trained teachers to educate children regarding various areas of law. The goal of the program is to teach critical thinking and legal survival skills as well as encourage youth advocacy skills through its mock trial program. Similar programs are sponsored by the Constitutional Rights Foundation in Los Angeles, California, and the Law in a Free Society Project in Calabassas, California. Such programs can enhance respect for the law and assist in the prevention effort. Focal Point: Social Institutions Area of Emphasis: Strategy: In. M-1 Media as a Method of Education Provision by private and public media groups of resources designed to present positive images for youth and to enhance law-abiding conduct. Commentary The media has a profound impact on our society. Juveniles are in a stage of emotional and intellectual development that makes them very susceptible to its influence. This vulnerability can be put to good advantage, however, if public and private media groups use their influence to develop positive role models for emulation. The messages of television, radio, and print media all affect a juvenile. Stereotypic views of society portrayed by the media may give the juvenile a distorted and prejudiced way of looking at society. For the Black, Puerto Rican, or Chicano child who sees juvenile delinquents portrayed only as minority members, participating in delinquent behavior may merely be fulfilling a societal expectation. parental lecture. The National Advisory Committee on Criminal Justice Standards and Goals, Report of the Task Force on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Standard 3.43 (1976) emphasized the importance of providing a role for juveniles in media program productions. "Young people should have an opportunity both to advise those responsible for television programming and advertising, and to participate in programming when possible." Id. By also using audio-visual programs within the school system, the role of juveniles in the media can be expanded. Local efforts within the television, radio, and print media should focus on programming for the young which will instill positive images and enhance law-abiding conduct. Positive role models for juveniles can effectively shape and modify behavior toward socially productive goals. Viewing or reading about peer members who are functioning in society without getting into trouble and yet who seem "normal" and funloving can help juveniles resist peer pressure to commit delinquent acts and help them to remain law-abiding citizens. 1.111-1.114 Organization of the Local Juvenile Service System For the child who lives his/her life through television, violence can become exciting. Educators believe that great Related Standards amounts of television viewing may detract from a juvenile's creativity and curiosity. In addition, television commercials can increase a juvenile's feelings of materialism and heighten his/her sense of the division between the poor and the rich in our society. For poor children whose parents cannot buy them the many toys and games that are advertised on television, frustration may result. This frustration can be the impetus to shoplift what is not affordable. Despite the negative effects that the mass media can have on juveniles, the media can be a positive and powerful tool in preventing juvenile delinquency. Television, radio, and print media which portray positive, meaningful messages can be as effective an education tool as the traditional schoolroom or 1.121-1.126 Organization of the State Juvenile Service System 1.21-1.29 Data Base Development and Collection. Related Strategies Focal Point Social Institutions: Cor. Ed-3 The Home as a Learning Environment |