PREVENTION OF DELINQUENCY - CURRENT STATUS AND ISSUES

In the present review, we summarize the extant literature in the field of delinquency prevention. We do not provide a recounting of whether specific programs have or have not been effective but, rather, attempt to judge the overall utility of programs to prevent delinquency in it s various forms and among various definable groups. Specifically, we o rganize our review of programs according to the characteristics of the targeted population, differentiating programs for universal, selected , or indicated populations. Within each population type, we further di stinguish programs according to designated intervention context, relyi ng on a biopsychosocial model that specifies four levels of influence on risk for delinquency: individual, close interpersonal relationships , proximal social settings, and societal macrosystems. At each level, we identify a number of effective intervention strategies and highligh t those that are based on relevant risk factor research. As we note, t he effectiveness of some approaches depends on the specific population , although, in general, multicomponent, multilevel programs appear to have the most substantial effects.