IJDPP

Intensive Juvenile Delinquency Prevention Program (IJDPP)

The purpose of primary prevention strategies of the Intensive Juvenile Delinquency Prevention Program (IJDPP) is to educate young people on how to communicate, interact and function effectively within the home, school, and community environments. Current research supports collaborative efforts between school systems and outside agencies

Some of the IJDPP goals are to “Effectively intervene with referent youth and families through education and guidance, to impact lives and to produce pro-social behavior and healthy lifestyles within their communities.” Through researched-based programs “Aggression Replacement Training” or ART (developed by Dr. Arnold Goldstein) and “Life Space Crisis Intervention” (developed by Dr. Nicholas Long) and the Perseus House mission, we have developed a successful, comprehensive, cognitive-behavioral, and school-based design. The main premise is that catching problems when they are in their infancy reduces the likelihood that those same problems will become significant as young people mature. Our goal is “to teach youth what they need to know in order to manage difficult experiences before they begin to respond with chronic aggression” (Goldstein, Glick & Gibbs, 1998)

IJDPP Opportunities

1. To continue to provide quality and innovative delinquency prevention services in schools.
2. To increase delinquency prevention activities in Erie Public Schools through:
   a. Ongoing meetings with superintendents and administrative staff.
   b. Continued communication with staff responsible for enhanced mental health services and school-based prevention activities.
   c. Ongoing development of alternative revenue sources, including grants to assist schools with program development.
3. Continued tracking and reporting of outcomes specifically related to:
   a. Increased grade point attendance.
   b. Decreased discipline referrals.
   c. Decreased unexcused absenteeism.

A holistic approach to client intervention will be emphasized. The program will provide a comprehensive multimodal treatment model that can be best be described as metapsychoeducational (Goldstein 1996). Interventions will include both individual and group counseling, educational opportunities and remediation, behavior modification, and the inclusion of the family through involvement in individual, family, and group therapy.

Program Structure

The program will focus on case management, group, family, and individual services to students and families identified by the schools. Each targeted school will have an assigned case manager that will be responsible for a caseload of students. The projected length of service for each client will vary dependent upon the student’s needs in the school and community setting. The case managers will work non-traditional hours, which will include evenings and weekends. They will provide intensive family-focused, school and community-based case management services.

Outcome Measures

The following are measures that will be utilized to assess program goals:

• Decrease the days of absenteeism of clients within the targeted schools.
• Decrease disciplinary referrals among clients within the targets schools.
• Increase the number of positive school reports, the percentage of completed homework assignments, and improve grades among the clients.
• Increase engagement in pro-social educational and recreational activities for clients and families.
• Improve parenting skills through support and training.