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Community Connection - Locally Based Juvenile Justice Programs and Their Settings

NCJ Number
89417
Journal
Juvenile and Family Court Journal Volume: 34 Issue: 1 Dated: (February 1983) Pages: 15-21
Author(s)
R A Sundeen
Date Published
1983
Length
7 pages
Annotation
Community-based program planners, managers, and service providers need to become more informed about the community context in which their work occurs and how it relates to their perspective programs.
Abstract
They should be aware of different communities' characteristics and particular needs and should identify or create community resources. Community characteristics that are more important to consider in initiating and operating a diversion program (without supervision), a nonresidential treatment program, and a residential program include sociodemographic characteristics, crime patterns (extent and seriousness), and relevant physical characteristics. Additional vital factors are community values and attitudes toward delinquency and youth-serving agencies and the relevant organizational environment. The organizational environment encompasses legal and social service systems and includes all organizations with which some linkage can be identified. Research into the effects and relationships of these factors is critically needed to aid in predicting the kinds of community characteristics associated with success in different kinds of programs. The paper reviews research on community characteristics and organizational linkages and notes three specific action-research items. One figure and 18 notes are given.