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Increasing School Safety Through Juvenile Accountability Programs

NCJ Number
179283
Author(s)
Scott H. Decker Ph.D.
Date Published
December 2000
Length
16 pages
Annotation
The topic of this Juvenile Accountability Incentive Block Grants Program Bulletin is promoting school safety by increasing the accountability of students for their behavior.
Abstract
The bulletin provides information to facilitate the development of constructive, well-conceived accountability-based programs that work with juvenile offenders who are referred by law enforcement agencies or that are designed in cooperation with law enforcement officials to protect students and school personnel from drug, gang, and youth violence. Accountability-based programs operate most effectively when they are part of a comprehensive approach involving a wide range of partners, including students, parents, school personnel, community residents, community organizations, law enforcement and juvenile justice authorities, elected officials, and business representatives. These programs should emphasize juvenile accountability, develop an expanded and integrated network of social services, provide a seamless continuum of services to meet the needs of youth in trouble, respond to juvenile delinquency with meaningful consequences, involve law enforcement as a stakeholder in community-based efforts to prevent and respond to juvenile delinquency, and respond to problems with strategies that reflect local concerns and needs. Major indicators of need are discussed, a comprehensive approach to schools safety is described, and common features of successful school safety programs are examined. Key elements of effective accountability-based programs are identified, as well as major steps essential to program implementation and potential impacts of accountability programs. Programs targeted toward high-risk students and juveniles referred by law enforcement and programs designed to protect students and school personnel from violence are briefly described. 13 references