Delinquency Prevention

Abstract Juvenile delinquency has been and continues to be a major concern to parents, the public, and policy makers. Due to this fact, there has been a growing interest in the prevention of delinquency. The essay provides an overview of the current research on delinquency prevention. This includes a review of risk and promotive/protective factors identified through empirical research as influencing involvement in crime, a discussion of effective delinquency prevention programs that target these factors, and information on delinquency programs that have been demonstrated to be ineffective in reducing delinquency. The essay concludes with a brief discussion of important next steps in delinquency prevention research.