A new report from the National Institute of Justice offers strategies that schools, law enforcement, public health officials and community leaders can use to prevent youths from joining gangs.
The report examines why youth join gangs, explores child development issues and the risks associated with joining gangs. It “provides principles to help practitioners and policymakers make decisions based on the best available evidence to prevent kids from joining a gang.”
The authors of the report recommend that to prevent kids from joining gangs, police departments should “move beyond a 'hook 'em and book 'em' mentality,” by collaborating with public health, school, community, and other partners on prevention strategies.
“SARA — Scanning, Analysis, Response and Assessment, the primary problem-solving model used by law enforcement — and the public health prevention model share complementary data-driven components, which can be used in building initiatives and partnerships that prevent youth from joining gangs,” the authors write.
Read the report HERE.