Crime and Juvenile Delinquency Prevention Policy: Time For Early Childhood Intervention

Jane Watson

Law practitioner in Vermont for over fifteen years and Georgetown University Law Center L.L.M. recipient, 1994

Violent crime among poor, inner-city youngsters has increased dramatically over the past few years, making it the leading cause of death for black teenage boys. As the availability of guns and the proliferation of gangs continues, solutions to this problem must be coordinated between early childhood educators and the federal government. The programs best suited for such a combined effort are the public and private non-profit agencies with administer local Head Start programs and the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention in the Department of Justice.

The factors which lead to the development of delinquency include: family characteristics, parental management skills, low socioeconomic status, child conduct at home and at school, family structure and ethnicity in reference to inequality or poverty, and school performance. Private projects and the Head Start program are two viable avenues for prevention of delinquency. The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention could play key roles in converting the structure of Head Start into a suitable prevention program, including giving substantial financial support to Head Start from their operating budget and using their staff to assist with parent education, home visits, and increased parental participation.

Since a shift in the focus to prevention of delinquency would greatly increase the numbers of children in the Head Start program, and the need for funding, a shift in the attitude of public officials toward preventing is necessary. This is challenging since most public opinion has emphasized increased criminal penalties and penal facilities. A commitment of national resources and policies to national prevention programs is the most useful and practical remedy to the problem of youth violence.

Vol. II, No. 2, p. 245 (1995)

Revised July 17, 2003 (MD)