40 FEDERAL PROBATION Volume 65 Number 1 Prevention Roles for Criminal Justice Professionals Eric T. Assur Safe and Drug Free School, Fairfax County Public Schools TRADITIONAL PROBATION and found a place among these agencies by vol- swimming or drown-proof programs. If very parole services have rarely played a significant unteering mediation, mentoring, tutoring, young children can be taught to swim at an role in providing delinquency prevention ser- street law, and similar prevention endeavors early age, they will forever be safer when near vices. Instead, criminal justice professionals with at-risk youth. the water. Children who can resist the temp- have worked diligently to rehabilitate the ad- Research-based models have demonstrated tations of the streets, who feel better about judicated or convicted adolescent or adult that early childhood services can ultimately themselves, who practice conflict resolution offender. Their mission has been one of re- yield fewer future criminal justice clients and skills, and who are law-abiding will both live habilitation and behavioral modification and perhaps lower future probation caseloads. longer and have better lives. control. The parents, assisted by the church, Many of the early childhood models have been Criminal justice professionals should be- the community, and the school, normally highlighted in a series of Department of Jus- come aware of the SafeFutures Initiatives and cooperate in raising youngsters. Only when tice (Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency the 164 current Office of Juvenile Justice and the child-rearing and educating process Prevention) bulletins on resilience-building Delinquency Prevention’s (OJJDP) Juvenile breaks down do most law enforcement offic- through family, school, and justice agency Mentoring (JUMP) Programs. Both of these ers or criminal justice representatives get in- partnerships. Children benefit and partici- federally supported and initiated research- volved. Large caseloads’ demands on officers’ pants in multi-agency projects learn a great based projects focus on “at risk” populations. time have often justified the lack of preven- deal from one another. Police, sheriffs, and The SafeFutures Program (The SafeFutures tion services–even those that are mandated probation agencies can often model relation- Program to Reduce Juvenile Delinquency and in the codes of many states or jurisdictions. ship building and share their special insights Youth Violence) is a five-year demonstration But recently this situation has begun to with early childhood nurses, teachers, and project supported by the U. S. Department change. The public schools, for example, have school administrators. For their part, crimi- of Justice, OJJDP and the Office of Justice recognized the benefit of inviting a broad nal justice professionals can learn a great deal Programs. The initiative links research on risk range of community servants to assist as part- about the families and communities they and protective factors for youth with current ners in the field of early childhood educa- serve through the teachers who spend many knowledge of prevention and early interven- tion. They have learned from the results of hours a day with children. Safe Schools and tion in juvenile delinquency. The federal pro- the federal Head Start programs begun for Healthy Students programs, and others grams generally follow the research findings disadvantaged three- and four-year-olds in funded by federal Justice, Health and Human reported in Communities That Care by J.D. 1964. Children with the Head Start experi- Services and Education agencies, have sought Hawkins and R.F. Catalano (1992) on risk ence do better in the future than similar youth to benefit needy communities and “at risk” and protective factors. Based on what we who lack the Head Start experience. In fact, students through a variety of multi-disciplin- know about the causes and development of children with two years of services do better ary service delivery systems. Expanding and delinquency, the federal government funded than youth with only one year in the program. translating programs that have proven suc- a comprehensive array of SafeFutures pro- The entire family benefits from the parental cessful improves the lives of young children grams by pooling federal and local funds to inclusion, home visits, and parental educa- and reduces risk factors. The more resilient provide services in nine areas. Juvenile tion that is a part of the program. This family children become the less likely they are to join Mentoring Programs (JUMP) takes up one involvement or Head Start model can easily gangs, quit school, or live a life of delinquency of the nine approaches. One of the more ob- be expanded to create a menu of early child- and substance abuse. The children benefit and vious findings was that many citizens who hood services that allow a variety of agencies the agencies benefit from the changes in mi- might be potential volunteers or mentors are access to the young children from “at risk” lieu and the process of collaboration. The repelled by the idea of working with children families. Justice system professionals have approach is similar to that used by Red Cross who have juvenile justice records. Therefore, June 2001 PREVENTION ROLES 41 deputies, officers, and other justice system Some “model” suburban communities— Socially and Academically Resilient Children employees might best serve in mentor or those with low risk assessment scores or Grant in Fairfax County, Virginia. The grant other prevention roles with young children ample opportunities for youth—might need itself was one of 40 awarded to communities, who are both at risk and difficult to match no special programs. Poorer communities schools, or agencies throughout the nation by with volunteers. The research also confirmed with poverty, high levels of transition, ad- the Center for Mental Health Services and the common view that intervention or change dictions, domestic violence, single parents, Center for Substance Abuse Treatment. The is more difficult the more delinquent the and latch key kids score much higher in risk Fairfax County grant application included the child. In other words, early intervention factors. It is in such communities that jus- law enforcement community and was built works best when it is very early. tice system professionals can best invest a around the theme of building resilient chil- Since 1996 the JUMP programs have small amount—perhaps only 20 or 30 min- dren through a community-based multi- sought to provide one-to-one mentoring for utes a week—of their time. agency approach. A senior Sheriffs Department youth at risk of juvenile delinquency, gang Some grant-funded programs offer over- administrator agreed to “adopt” a class of chil- involvement, educational failure, or dropping time compensation to officers for their extra dren who had already been suspended and out of school. In 2000 there were 164 such “volunteer” work in the community. In other transferred to one elementary school for a federally funded programs. Some of the pro- programs, the police chief, sheriff, judge, or highly structured alternative, the Intervention grams are partnerships between law enforce- chief probation officer may recognize the ben- and Support Program. The teachers, social ment and local education agencies. In other efit of positive community relations and pre- worker and psychologist originally asked for models the prosocial mentors were recruited, vention. Such leaders may offer compensa- an officer to visit weekly to play chess with trained, and directly supervised by law en- tory time or the intangible credit or recogni- these very high-risk fourth- and fifth-grade forcement or corrections departments. The tion that helps when performance evaluation students. The sheriff exceeded all expectations. Department of Youth Services in Boston hired or promotional considerations are being ad- He set aside the last 45 minutes of the week adults to mentor youth being discharged from dressed. In most programs the criminal jus- for the students. The students looked forward juvenile detention facilities. The Contra tice professionals visit an elementary school to his Friday afternoon visits. He respected Costa, California Volunteers in Probation or apartment complex while making routine them and served as an honest and strong male (VIP) program hired staff to recruit and train field visits. The once a week tutor or mentor role model. A theme of social skill teaching volunteers to mentor youth on probation. In program requires no added compensation, developed. The young men were taught to a Fairfax County, Virginia Juvenile Court pro- travel expense, or advance preparation. The shake hands, speak clearly, and respect each gram the local bar association offered Con- child receiving the tutoring or mentoring other. The academic and behavioral program tinuing Legal Education (CLE) credits to 25 need not even know exactly how this “helper” of the school was reinforced. The weekly vis- lawyers who trained as mentors and were is employed. its also included a few law-related education matched with young first-time offenders be- Creative partnerships and meaningful discussions. Some of the jurisdiction’s 30 ad- ing adjudicated for truancy. In the past sev- roles with a young child or group of children ditional Intervention or alternative schools will eral years mentor programs have become can boost morale. Active involvement also benefit from similar programs with other valuable tools to prevent delinquency and to helps balance realism and optimism. Work- deputies. Female deputies now offer physical support the rehabilitation effort with young ing with children for even a few minutes at a education programs and beneficial group ses- adjudicated youth. In some jurisdictions the time offers a nice change of pace, a breath of sions with the girls who attend alternative sec- law enforcement community has taught fresh air, or a short respite from the jail, court- ondary school programs. school social workers and administrators room, or street pain and pressure. And,there As needs have been identified, the depart- much about delinquency prevention.