Richard Mendel, in What Works in the Prevention of Youth Crime, shows that, as a quick fix, short-term shock incarceration such as boot camps or job training does not reduce criminality. Neither traditional psychotherapy nor behaviour modification has shown great promise. Scareoriented programs or programs that place groups of youth
offenders together actually seem to worsen participants' behaviour.
We need to develop and implement prevention and rehabilitation programs and learn quickly from experience through solid empirical research and evaluation. To help young people grow into functioning adults, they must be loved, supervised, supported, educated, encouraged,
cared for, given opportunities to contribute and be given opportunities for recreation, exploration, and personal growth. For those from high-risk families and communities,
cognitive skills training and family counselling will also be required. To be effective, these treatments must be carefully crafted, research-based, and effectively implemented.
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