OJJDP News @ a Glance - March/April 2011

March | April 2011

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention · Jeff Slowikowski, Acting Administrator

	In a systematic review of nine randomized studies of Scared Straight and other prison-tour programs, researchers found that "programs like 'Scared Straight' are likely to have a harmful effect and increase delinquency relative to doing nothing at all to the same youths." —"Scared Straight" and Other Juvenile Awareness Programs for Preventing Juvenile Delinquency
Photo copyright: A&E Television Networks Justice Department Discourages Use of "Scared Straight" Programs Established in the 1970s, Scared Straight programs are used throughout the United States as a means of deterring juvenile crime. They usually entail visits by at-risk youth to adult prisons, where youth hear about the harsh reality of prison life from inmates. The programs can involve tours of the facility, living the life of a prisoner for a full day, aggressive "in-your-face" presentations by inmates, and one-on-one counseling. However well intentioned these prison-visit programs may be, decades of research have shown that this approach is not only ineffective, but possibly harmful to youth.
April Is Child Abuse Prevention Month OJJDP's National Girls Institute Holds First Listening Session Mark Your Calendars: OJJDP's National Conference Gang Symposium To Be Held in June 2011 Upcoming Events
NEWS IN BRIEF White House Hosts Conference on Bullying Prevention U.S. Departments of Justice and Education Address Bullying in Op-Ed Piece Administration Revises Proposal on "Race to the Top" Funding for Juvenile Justice Six Cities Present Plans To Prevent Youth Violence Attorney General Calls for Improvements to Juvenile Justice System OJJDP Seeks Peer Reviewers Online Course in Preventing Truancy and Dropout Now Available Disproportionate Minority Contact Community and Strategic Planning Demonstration Project OJJDP Welcomes New Associate Administrator NEW PUBLICATIONS Guide for Implementing or Enhancing an Endangered Missing Advisory Highlights From Pathways to Desistance: A Longitudinal Study of Serious Adolescent Offenders NEWS FROM THE COORDINATING COUNCIL NEWS FROM THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE