Conclusion

Research on the prevention of serious and violent juvenile offending reveals many useful lessons:

• Successful interventions are those that address multiple risk factors.
  
  
• Single-focus interventions are unlikely to be effective because antisocial behavior emerges from a complex array of risk factors.
  
  
• Programs that involve the family will be more effective than those that do not.
  
  
• Programs that identify and refer for treatment children with ADHD or other disorders will have more powerful, long-range effects than those that do not.
  
  
• Interventions that are successful with specific groups of youth may not transfer to a universal setting where fewer youth exhibit similar problems.
  
  
• Interventions must have a theoretical basis and be clearly and concretely described so that they can be systematically evaluated and replicated.
  
  
• Researchers must consider the child's development and larger context, regardless of the chronological age or risk factors involved.

Keeping these lessons in mind, researchers and program planners can design more effective long-term interventions to prevent serious, violent juvenile offending.

Prevention of Serious and Violent Juvenile Offending	Juvenile Justice Bulletin • April 2000