Introduction
The demand for effective approaches to prevent juvenile delinquency and subsequent adult criminal behavior is growing across the Nation. The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) actively supports the development, evaluation, replication, and dissemination of information about promising and effective approaches to delinquency prevention. The City of Westminster Police Department in Orange County, CA, has developed an innovative strategy for enhancing the prevention of delinquency by improving the use of existing community resources. This Bulletin provides an overview of Westminster’s Strategic Home Intervention and Early Leadership Development (SHIELD) program. SHIELD uses contacts that law enforcement officers make in the normal course of their duties to identify at-risk youth and connect them with community resources. By improving coordination among law enforcement, social services, community service providers, and the school system, the SHIELD program facilitates early identification and treatment of at-risk youth who might otherwise be overlooked. The SHIELD program was initiated in 1996 and funded through the California Governor’s Office of Criminal Justice Planning with Byrne Block Grant funds from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance. The logic and design of the SHIELD program grew out of the recognition that law enforcement officers frequently encounter youth who are exposed to conditions that predispose them to later delinquency and adult criminal behavior. Furthermore, the status and position of police and sheriff’s departments allow them to serve as unifying elements in communitywide efforts to prevent delinquency.| Previous | Contents | Next |
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| Law Enforcement Referral of At-Risk Youth: The SHIELD Program |
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