The Boston Model Analysis

Operation Ceasefire is a problem-oriented policing intervention aimed at reducing youth homicide and youth firearms violence in Boston. Project design began in 1995 and it was implemented in 1996. It is based on the “pulling levers” deterrence strategy that focuses criminal justice attention on a small number of chronically offending gang-involved youth responsible for much of Boston’s youth homicide problem. This paper will explore the problem Operation Ceasefire is trying to solve and examine the effectiveness of its implementation through the assessment of the 7 stages of the model.

The Canadian government also uses Intervention programs. This programs purpose is to help street gang members, especially youth leave gangs as well as prevent young people who are on the border of joining street gangs join them. Along with prevention techniques, intervention program must be individualized to meet the adolescents needs to get them out of their current gang. Multisystemic Therapy which was designed specifically for chronic juvenile offenders which can be also connected to youth gangs, is a home based program where all areas of the adolescents life that influences them are involved including home, school, peer group and neighbourhood. With therapists available twenty-four hours a day, this program can be successful. The purpose of Multisystemic Therapy is to “empower the family to take responsibility for making and maintaining gains.... parents are encouraged to develop the requisite skills to solve their own problems rather than rely on professionals” (Leschied & Cunningham 9). Another intervention strategy based out of Regina, is called RAGS which stands for Regina Anti-Gang Services specifically targets gang involved Aboriginal youth from the ages of thirteen to thirty. The goal is to reduce the amount of youth gang crimes by providing services that can end in adolescents leaving the gangs. The program offers intensive counselling, teaching

Law enforcement is commonly the first contact young victims and victimizers have with the juvenile justice system, serving as the gatekeeper to the rest of the system. The police main objective is to protect youths, both victims and offenders, and dealing fairly with them. Every law enforcement officer, no matter at what level, has an opportunity to be a positive influence on youths. The objective for the youth’s perception about the law and law enforcement will be based on one-on-one interactions with law enforcement officers. (Hess, 2013)

Juveniles committing crimes, being arrested and going to jails and prisons, is a sad fact that has hit every city, in every state in the United States of America. It is not a hard thing to comprehend, turn on the TV and watch the news. Every night there is surely to be a report about a crime committed by one of America’s youth. Many people question the reason for such high numbers of juveniles committing crimes; others turn a blind eye and refuse to acknowledge the fact that every day more children of this country are slipping into the life of crime. Some concerned members of society ask what can be done to stop it; how can they help? The answer is action! Law enforcement, as well as Local, State, and

Department of Justice 2008). Furthermore, these cities were also characterized by significant existing program investment and a high indicator of citizen involvement within the community (U.S. Department of Justice 2008). The theoretical basis of the program suggests that it is multidimensional. The OJJDP has created a comprehensive, integrated, and coordinated program by incorporating a wide range of research-based interventions to tackle personal, family, and community factors that contribute to juvenile delinquency (U.S. Department of Justice 2010) (U.S. Department of Justice 2008). The program is not a one-size-fits-all approach and most be flexible (U.S. Department of Justice 2010). The program notes that if either one of these groups are not willing or able to work together the program will has a slim chance of achieving success (U.S. Department of Justice 2008). As mentioned in the introduction, the main goal of the GRP is to create a community environment that promotes that reduction of youth gang delinquency, crime, and violence within the targeted areas (U.S. Department of Justice 2008). Furthermore, the GRP is determined to learn what techniques and strategies lead to success (U.S. Department of Justice 2008).

This particular gang intervention face various barriers, but also have support agents who make the intervention possible for at problem youths. A barrier to this program

According to Wu, Lake, and Cao (2015) juvenile were found to have more non-criminal enforcement interaction with the police due to increased police presence in the school system. In addition, juveniles are at “higher risk of both offending and victimization compared to adults” and “efforts to control youth and gang violence.…promoted aggressive police actions against youth” (p. 446). Juvenile perception of police is an important area of study because mistrust of the police may create a strain of juveniles’ future cooperation with the police in criminal investigations and police legitimacy. Also, research has shown that long-lasting impressions and attitudes are formed during adolescence and if juveniles form negative perceptions of the police, these perceptions tend to be permanently embedded or very difficult to change (Wu et. al,

The Los Angeles intervention approach produces positive and negative attributes to combating gang related criminality. Gangs in society today, are problematic in many aspects. There are many different avenues city officials can take to combat or reduce gang related crime. Various methodologies have been used to take on this problem and have had successful results (Spergel,1986). “The general idea is that if gang members will not respond to ordinary social agency programs, then the programs must move out to the streets in order to achieve change (Klein,1965, p3. 183).”

Throughout time, society has seen its fair share of crime from miniscule crimes to the most serious types of offenses like murder and rape. Violence can come from all shape and sizes from women, men, children, mentally ill, etc. An increasing problem in recent decades include juvenile violence. Juveniles can commit violence for an infinite amount of reasons like parental abuse, being bullied in school or peers, mental illness, and other outside factors. Juvenile are in a period in their lives where countless aspects can influence the way they think, act, and even speak. Criminological theories have been created and tested to factor why juveniles partake in crime and why do they tend to be influenced to continuously break the law. Theories

This article written by Alex S. Vitale discusses the need for a decrease of reliance in policing and an increase for greater community services. Vitale believes that in order to solve the problem of police misconduct, communities must first resolve their own neighborhood disorders. He believes that police should be removed from school districts. Vitale backs up his statement with studies that show juvenile students worsen the safety of the school and eventually become associated with much more serious crimes. Enlightening role models can enhance school safety, which then eliminates the problem of juvenile activity within school districts, resulting in the unnecessary need for police and reducing the misconduct that often takes place. Vitale

Not all states think that the juvenile justice system is persistent in rehabilitation into changing the child’s behavior. In a nationwide height of delinquent behavior in late 1980’s and early 1990’s, some states adopted a “get tough” policy on crime. Considering the fact that juveniles needed to experience the dangers and probable abuses ascribed to incarceration with adult offenders in the criminal justice system. However, when this is being regulated into the youth all they are seeing is negative aspects that may not even fear them. They are so use to crime and looking at more crime within itself in the criminal justice system is just another reality of what is set into their future.

Earlier in the year, around 50 teenagers stormed into a Wal-Mart in Macon, Georgia determined to destroy merchandise just to see how much damage they could cause. A month after that in Nebraska a twelve year old boy was arrested as a suspect in a fatal shooting (“Juvenile Crime”, 2015). Headlines like these are becoming more frequent in today’s news media. In 2010, juvenile courts disposed of more than 1.3 million delinquency cases. In addition, juveniles were involved in 8% of all homicides committed that year (Sickmund and Puzzanchera, 2014.). With the juvenile population projected with steady growth throughout the 21st century, increasing juvenile crime continues to challenge the criminal justice system. Among the many challenges are criminal

Police and other elements of the criminal justice system are at the center of efforts to reduce gang violence. Police are fully aware of the damage that gangs do to their communities, in terms of graffiti, vandalism, fighting, shoot-outs, robbery, rape and other violence. They understand that neighborhoods cannot function effectively under the reign of terror that many street gangs impose. At the same time, police leaders around the nation have frequently made the point that “we cannot arrest our way out of the crime problem.” Too many lawbreakers, limited police resources and high levels of long-term losses to communities make it vital that arrest not be the only answer. Community involvement, focused social services and community problem solving are other critical strategies that can reduce crime in the long term and strengthen neighborhoods.

Early in my career I was chosen to deliver the concept of Community Policing and Problem Oriented Policing as an everyday strategy department wide. I have come to realize that strategies are only as good as the partnerships you establish with the community. I found this philosophy to be especially true when I presented the first skate park initiative for the City of Broken Arrow. I led the Professional Standards Unit while creating the Juvenile Accountability Group, which received the Oklahoma Municipal League Innovation Award and recognition from the Bureau of Justice as a “Best Practice”

Youth gang issues has been around for almost several decades and data showed the proportion of youths joining a gang increased significantly. In order to prevent from newer generations of youths from joining a gang and essentially ruining their future, communities formed together to create a blockage to direct them to a successful future and be a law abiding citizen. The federal government even formed an office called the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention that operates under United States department of Justice to attempt “by supporting states, local communities, and tribal jurisdictions in their efforts to develop and implement effective programs for juveniles”. (Howell, J. C., Wilson, J. J., Reno, J., Marcus, D., &