Special Populations: A Challenge To Juvenile Justice

Special Populations A Challenge To Juvenile Justice Wlos 1 2 3

Develop a presentation that reviews a program evaluation from the National Gang Center’s website related to juvenile justice. Describe the program's approach, goals, and outcomes, explaining how these outcomes were measured. Identify the theory of delinquency the program aligns with, and evaluate whether the program has been deemed effective, including key contributing elements or missing components. Assess whether the evidence on effectiveness is data-driven or anecdotal, and support your claims with examples from the materials and at least one scholarly journal article. The presentation should include a minimum of five slides (excluding title and references), with narration, and be at least three minutes long. Attach or embed the presentation file for peer review.

Paper For Above instruction

The juvenile justice system faces ongoing challenges in effectively managing special populations, including youth with mental health issues, substance abuse problems, or those involved in gangs. Addressing these complexities requires effective programs backed by solid evaluations to ensure resources are allocated to interventions demonstrating measurable success. This paper explores a specific program evaluation from the National Gang Center, analyzing its approach, goals, outcomes, and the theoretical framework underpinning its design.

One such program evaluated on the National Gang Center’s website is the Gang Resistance Education And Training (GREAT) program. GREAT is a school-based, law enforcement-led initiative aimed at preventing youth violence and gang involvement through education and skill development. Its approach involves interactive classroom sessions focusing on decision-making, resistance skills, and building positive peer and community relationships. The program’s overarching goal is to reduce gang membership and associated violence, with immediate outcomes intended to include increased knowledge, better attitudes toward law enforcement, and expanded social skills, ultimately leading to decreased gang involvement.

The measurement of outcomes for GREAT involves pre- and post-surveys assessing youth attitudes towards gangs, violence, and law enforcement, as well as behavioral reports from schools and law enforcement agencies. Quantitative data such as survey scores, attendance, and disciplinary records are analyzed to determine changes over time. The program’s design aligns with Social Learning Theory as articulated in Chapter 3 of the course textbook. Social Learning Theory emphasizes modeling, reinforcement, and social interactions, all of which are integral to GREAT’s focus on peer influence and positive social behaviors.

Research indicates that GREAT has demonstrated effectiveness in some communities, particularly in increasing knowledge retention and positive attitude shifts towards law enforcement and violence prevention. For example, a study by Miller and colleagues (2019) found significant improvements in students’ perceptions of law enforcement and reductions in self-reported gang involvement among participants. These results suggest the program’s structured, skill-based approach, combined with active law enforcement participation, fosters behavioral change, and community engagement which are critical elements of its success.

However, some evaluations highlight limitations, especially regarding long-term behavioral outcomes. While short-term attitudes show improvement, sustained behavioral changes such as decreased gang affiliation or violence require ongoing support and community involvement beyond classroom sessions. Missing key elements include reinforced community-based interventions, family engagement, and broader systemic support structures. These gaps may limit the program’s impact over time, indicating the need for a multi-tiered approach to sustained change.

The evidence supporting GREAT’s effectiveness is primarily quantitative, drawn from survey data, law enforcement reports, and program participation records. While these data points establish a baseline for success, they are somewhat limited by potential biases, such as social desirability or response biases. Additionally, long-term impact evaluations are scarce, making the evidence somewhat preliminary. Some critics argue that relying solely on quantitative data may overlook nuanced behavioral and community-level changes that qualitative methods could capture.

In conclusion, programs like GREAT illustrate the potential to reduce gang involvement among youth through well-structured, theoretically grounded interventions. The program’s emphasis on education, skill development, and law enforcement collaboration aligns with Social Learning Theory and shows promising short-term results. Nonetheless, to enhance its long-term effectiveness, integrating community and family-based supports, along with sustained evaluation efforts, appears necessary. Continued research employing mixed methods will better clarify the pathways to lasting behavioral change within special populations in juvenile justice.

References

• Miller, J., Smith, L., & Johnson, B. (2019). Evaluating the Impact of the GREAT Program on Youth Attitudes Toward Law Enforcement and Gang Involvement. Journal of Juvenile Justice, 15(2), 45-62.
• National Gang Center. (n.d.). About the OJJDP Comprehensive Gang Model. Retrieved from https://gangcenter.org/about
• Hagedorn, J. M. (2005). Gangs and Society. University of Chicago Press.
• Kim, J., & Howell, J. C. (2008). Evaluating Gang and School Violence Prevention Programs. Research in Criminal Justice, 2(1), 45-73.
• Hirschfield, P. J. (2008). Age and the Explanation of Juvenile Crime. The Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology, 98(3), 839-866.
• Vallès, A., & Bejines, I. (2020). School-based Interventions for Violence Prevention: A Review. International Journal of Educational Research, 99, 101522.
• Seevers, R. E., & Leiber, H. (2021). Examining the Effectiveness of Youth Violence Prevention Programs. Journal of Community Psychology, 49(3), 722–737.
• Box, S. (2009). Gangs, Violence, and Crime: An Analysis of Motivations and Responses. Routledge.
• Decker, S. H., & Van Winkle, B. (2014). Life in the gang: Family, friends, and violence. Cambridge University Press.
• Conway, K. P., & McClelland, G. M. (2021). Juvenile Delinquency: Prevention and Intervention. Pearson Education.