In the 1992 reauthorization of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (JJDP) Act of 1974 (the Act), Congress established Title V—Incentive Grants for Local Delinquency Prevention Programs (Community Prevention Grants Program). The Community Prevention Grants Program (the Program) created a Federal grants program to fund collaborative, community-based delinquency prevention efforts under the premise that preventing delinquency, focusing on the "front-end," is a more cost-effective approach to reducing juvenile crime than the more expensive "back end" options of rehabilitation and incarceration. As illustrated in Exhibit 2, the Program's strategic approach integrates the following six principles into an innovative approach to reducing juvenile delinquency.
Comprehensive and multi-disciplinary approach—To increase the efficacy of delinquency prevention efforts and reduce duplication of services, the Program requires that each community designate a Prevention Policy Board. This multi-disciplinary planning board includes key community representation such as social service, child welfare, and health and mental health agencies, as well as law enforcement, private industry, religious institutions, and civic organizations. This broad-based approach encourages the commitment and participation of the entire community in developing and implementing a prevention strategy. It also fosters coordination, so that a comprehensive system of strategies can be implemented in a way that best meets the needs of each community's children, youth, and families.
"The diversity of the coalition has been instrumental in the success of our Title V initiative. The coalition represents a diverse group of professionals with expertise in a variety of areas. As a result, the coalition is an excellent resource [for our community planning]... Now, organizations do not seek funds or provide services in a vacuum. It's always a collaborative effort now. It's no longer about getting grants. I can't tell you how much more coordination there is now."
— Peggy Seals, Grants Administrator,
Missoula, Montana
Research foundation for planning—The Program promotes a rational framework for responding to adolescent problem behaviors that has been verified by years of research on risk-focused prevention (Howell, 1995; Hawkins, Catalano & Miller, 1992). Through systematic risk and resource assessments and ongoing data collection activities, communities gather empirical data on indicators of community risk and protection. Communities then use the data to identify where community risks are greatest, prioritize areas warranting attention and resources, and track outcomes of their prevention efforts.
"Title V really helped us focus the community on the risk and protective factors and the types of programs we should implement in response... [Now] we can be more logical about addressing issues in the community."
— Ralph Varela, PPB Member,
Pinal Hispanic Council, Eloy, Arizona
Community control and decision-making—The Community Prevention Grants Program allows local jurisdictions to assess their own delinquency prevention needs. Each unit of local government that receives Title V funds is responsible for planning, developing, and implementing a delinquency prevention strategy that best suits its unique risk- and protection-focused profile. The Community Prevention Grants Program effectively places control and decision-making in the hands of community members.
"The whole planning process gave us focus...And, it was the risk and resource assessment and the coalition that really helped us do that. The coalition provided the support and the risk and resource assessment provided the data. We had never used data to make decisions before. It helped show us where to target our resources."
— Liz Zuercher, Title V Coordinator,
Marshall County, Iowa
Leverage of resources and systems—As "seed" money, the Community Prevention Grants Program provides a financial base and the incentives necessary for local jurisdictions to secure additional resources. Armed with empirical data from their local risk and resource assessment and program evaluation, communities are better positioned to more effectively target their existing delinquency prevention funds, and in the future, to request additional Federal, State and local funding.
"Title V put us in a position to obtain other funds because it gave us the money to start these projects. With the opportunity the money provided us, we implemented projects and tracked their progress. The appeal [to other funders] was that we could show that what we were doing was working and needed to be maintained."
— Cathie Evans, PPB Member,
Klamath County, Oregon
Evaluation to monitor program success—Requisite program evaluation activities enable local stakeholders to assess progress, refine their programs, and optimize effectiveness over time. Through OJJDP sponsored training and technical assistance and training, community members develop local capacity to assess program outcomes and monitor long-term changes in the prevalence of risk factors and adolescent problem behaviors in the community.
"When you're doing evaluation, then you know when you're being successful. I wouldn't think of doing a program without a research component. Evaluation is one of the most important things you can do in designing and implementing a program"
— Christine Tomascik, Evaluator,
Luzerne County, Pennsylvania
Long-term perspective—Perhaps most important, the Program does not propose quick-fix solutions to long-standing juvenile problems. The Program instead adopts a long-term perspective that fosters positive, sustained community change through a combination of short-term efforts and long-term investments.
"The Title V process has been very good for us. It has helped us become more aware of what we're doing, put it down on paper and take a look at it. It's more incentive to look to the future."
— Karen Lilly, PPB Member,
Hurricane, West Virginia
In the Community Prevention Grants Program, these fundamental principles combine to form a strategic approach to reduce juvenile delinquency and provide a sound framework for its practical application.