Raven King
ENG 110_Spring 2015
Research Paper
May 18, 2015
Early
Intervention Programs For At-Risk Adolescents
Juvenile
delinquency is a severe issue in today’s society and needs serious attention in
order to make it better. Even those who are not directly affected end up being
touched by this issue through governmental allocation of tax dollars and the
general safety of our communities (Saminsky, 2010). Juvenile crime affects
everyone living in the United States today. It impacts parents, neighbors,
teachers and families, victims of the crime, and the perpetrators. While
delinquency rates have been decreasing, the numbers are still too high. However,
this problem cannot simply be solved by spending money but by doing research
about the effective ways to lower these numbers. There have been numerous
programs that attempted to lower this rate. Some have been successful and
others have had minimal or no impact; and these failing programs are a waste of
valuable resources. It is important to take a look at these programs and find
out what works and what doesn’t so the successful programs can continue to be
implemented and improved, while those programs that are failing can be put to
rest.
Prevention
programs positively impact the general public because they strive to reduce
crime or stop it altogether. One component of successful prevention programs is
the comprehensive nature. These programs take a more holistic approach to
prevent future crime by dealing with various aspects of a child’s life, rather
than focusing on one in particular. For
example, rather than focusing on the academics and intellectual level of the
child alone, it is more effective to include factors such as recreational
activities and peer counseling. Two of the most successful programs are Head
Start and Home Visitation Programs. They both target at-risk populations and
specific risk factors that contribute to delinquent behavior and juvenile
delinquency. Once these risk factors are decreased to a certain degree, the
problem behavior is less likely to occur. Some of the most effective early
intervention programs have taken a multi-prolonged approach to this goal by
including non-educational supports, such as providing health care, involving
parents in the program, and offering specific services to the families of
children enrolled (Zigler, 1992).
Risk
factors play a major role in the lives of at-risk youth and may lead to
delinquent behavior. Low intelligence is considered to be a risk factor because
children with below average intelligence there is a greater chance of the child
performing poorly in school. Socioeconomic status is another important risk
factor to evaluate in cases of delinquent behavior. Children raised in a
household that is unstable with unsupportive caregivers have a much greater
chance of developing a problem behavior in the future than children who are
raised in a stable home. Although it is
difficult to predict future problem behavior, targeting specific risk factors
will possibly decrease the amount of the delinquent behavior. As the number of
risk factors increase, the possibility of delinquency being present increases
as well. The majority of these risk factors appear to be rooted in the
environment, but there is some speculation that nurture interacts with nature
to heighten a child’s vulnerability (Zigler, 1992).
In the
1960s and 1970s, it was found that the juvenile justice system was ineffective.
The nation began working to stop the institutionalization of a number of
populations, which included psychiatric patients and mentally retarded persons.
Therefore to continue with this change the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency
Prevention Act of 1974 was developed. This act aimed to decrease the number of
juveniles being placed in jail for crimes that are not necessarily considered to
be crimes for adults: running away, truancy, and liquor law violations. The
number of status offenders held in public facilities decreased by 60% between
1977 and 1982, and the population of juveniles held in adult facilities decreased
from 97,847 to 15,130 (Zigler, 1992).
Those
that get involved with the delinquent after the occurrence of deviant behavior
tend to be less successful—at that point antisocial habits are well developed.
The programs that intervene before the onset of the delinquent behavior and
prevent that behavior are more effective. Getting involving in the children’s
lives earlier rather than later can effectively reduce crime. The period of
early childhood and adolescence is a critical time where the child is the most
influenced by outside forces. Whether the influence comes from their social
group or family, it is important to provide them with the right information
before the problem behavior can even develop.
Head
Start is an intervention program that stands out among the others. This program
began as a part of Lyndon Johnson’s War on Poverty. The program provides
comprehensive education, health services, nutritional guidance, parental
involvement, and social services to low-income children and their families
(Saminsky, 2010). It takes a holistic approach in order to address all aspects
of a child’s life After almost 50 years of being in session, Head Start has
enrolled over 22 million children in the United States. The ultimate goal of
this program is to prepare children for school and give these unprivileged
children a “head start”. Head Start has been shown to improve intelligence, academic
readiness and achievement, self-esteem, social behavior and physical health
(Saminsky, 2010).
It is
important to understand that Head Start does not estimate the success of their
programs based on the rate of juvenile delinquency, but the level of school
readiness the child exhibits. Children who participate in these programs are
less likely to drop out and perform delinquent behavior because they have
better early school experiences and a stronger commitment to education. Early
intervention programs have also been shown to increase IQ scores and executive
functioning, better elementary school achievement, and lower rates of
aggression and other antisocial behavior.
Today,
Head Start is considered to be an educational achievement program as well as an
early intervention delinquency program. Programs like Head Start are not only
beneficial for the students but for the government as well. There is evidence
that suggests that these programs not only pay back their costs but also earn a
profit for the government and taxpayers in terms of deflecting costs of social
assistance and judicial costs, and adding to tax revenue (Saminsky, 2010).
Another
successful program is home visitation, which also combines early intervention
and comprehensive care. This program allows nurses and trained professionals to
meet with typically low-income or high-risk mothers, typically teenage mothers.
These professionals provide assistance to these mothers throughout the duration
of their pregnancy until the child is 2 years old. The goal of this program is
to provide mothers with information and support. Specifically, the nurses aim
to reduce environmental hazards, instruct mothers about nutrition for
themselves and for their infants, effectively correct behavior, and reduce substance
abuse by the mother (Saminsky, 2010).
The
effects of the visitation programs include a reduction in maternal substance
abuse during pregnancy, a reduction in child maltreatment, a reduction in
family size, closely spaced pregnancies, and chronic welfare dependence
(Saminsky, 2010). Home visitation programs have been increasingly successful in
mediating risk factors. This program not only helps create healthy childhood
development, but it sets children up for success in the future and reduces the chance
of crimes being committed as well.
Although
it is important to look at the factors that contribute to juvenile delinquency,
the success of the communities’ children depends on the strength of the
families. The first important influence on children is the family but that
children and families are interactive members of a large system of social
institutions, such as the school, the workplace, and community health and child
care services (Zigler, 1992). Children will be positively impacted in homes that
provide a secure, predictable and stable environment where parents are
supportive and loving towards them. Parents that are active and present in
their child’s life will foster a positive environment where delinquent behavior
is less likely.
Families
can show more involvement when they receive much needed support. Whether they
are given opportunities for parenting classes or resources to help them become
more involved in their children’s lives, improvement will benefit both the
child and parent. In low-income
societies it is less likely for the parents to be involved, and on the other
hand become more irritable and less affectionate towards their children.
Socioeconomic status is a major factor that contributes to the lack of
involvement of parents and has negative effects on the children as well.
Low-income families are less likely to have good health, mental health care,
housing, quality childcare, or even adequate food (Lieny, 2014). Evidence has
shown that the best times to support families are in the first few years of the
child’s life, during the transition to elementary school, and in the transition
to middle school (Lieny, 2014). It is important that resources are available to
all parents and families.
While
these programs have been shown to be successful, there are changes that need to
be implemented. With some exceptions, programs aimed at preventing juvenile
delinquency have also shown little evidence of their long-term effectiveness,
largely because they target only a few of the causes of delinquent behavior
(Zigler, 1992). Research has shown that highly successful programs continue
beyond childhood years to provide support to at-risk youth. The best programs
do not end once the child reaches a certain age, but continues to provide
support throughout childhood. Early intervention for at-risk adolescents is
beneficial in all aspects. These programs prepare children for the future at
the most crucial time in their lives. Whether the success is seen in individual
children or not, it is successful overall. Although, early intervention aims to
prevent future problem behavior there is still room for improvement in order to
see lasting effects in future generations.
Annotated Bibliography
Saminsky,
A. (2010). “Preventing Juvenile Delinquency: Early Intervention and
Comprehensiveness as Critical Factors.” Student
Pulse, 2(02).
The author describes the risk
factors that contribute to delinquent behavior in children. By examining
factors that may cause a child to become delinquent, there is room for
improvement. The programs that are deemed to be successful and those who have
little to no impact are all included and evaluated. Factors such as
comprehensiveness and early intervention are significant when it comes to
preventing delinquent behavior.
Jeon,
Lieny, Cynthia K. Buettner, and Eunhye Hur. “Family And Neighborhood
Disadvantage, Home Environment, And Children’s School Readiness.” Journal Of Family Psychology 28.5
(2014): 718-727. PsycARTICLES.
Preschool-aged children’s
cognitive skills and social-emotional competence have critical implications for
success in the transition to formal schooling. Children who exhibit more school
readiness attain greater academic achievement and are able to adapt to their
surroundings, which develops more positive behaviors. The authors of this
article examine two important elements of children’ school readiness: cognitive
skills and social-emotional competence. Social competence represents children’s
behaviors that allow them to effectively manage and engage in social
environments. Emotional competence can be defined as children’s ability to
regulate their emotions.
Zigler,
E.. Taussig, C., Black, K. (1992). “Early Childhood Intervention: A Promising Preventative
for Juvenile Delinquency.” Yale
University
The authors of this article
focused on early intervention programs that target juvenile delinquency. They
examined the success of multiple programs and discovered factors that made them
wither successful or not. This study shows that although these programs have
been around for decades, the success rate is somewhat the same. Therefore,
there needs to be improvements made to these early intervention programs for
the future.
Karoly,
Lynn A., M. Rebecca Kilburn and Jill S. Cannon. Proven Benefits of Early
Childhood Interventions. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 2005.
The authors of this articles
examined the short and long-term benefits of early intervention programs, the features
that are associated with more effective programs and the economic gains that
come from investing in these programs. The study focused on programs that
provide child development services from the prenatal period until kindergarten.
May,
Jessica., Osmond, Kristina., Billick, Stephen (2014). “Juvenile Delinquency
Treatment and Prevention: A Literature Review.” Springer Science + Business Media New York
The authors of this article
examined how teaching prosocial values in early childhood can reduce the
incidence of first-time juvenile delinquency. There has been plenty of research
to demonstrate that institute Multisystematic Therapy for serious juvenile
offenders, keeping them in the community with intensive intervention, can
significantly reduce recidivism. Programs such as the Perry School Project is
discussed to demonstrate that although these interventions are expensive, they
are cost-effective as the cost to society of decision, incarceration and victim
damages are much greater.