Noting that one of the most powerful weapons to prevent crime are programs such as quality educational child care, after-school and summer programs, and child abuse prevention, this brief presents the school and youth violence prevention plan of an organization of Illinois law enforcement officers, state’s attorneys, crime survivors, and leaders of police officer organizations. The plan is detailed in four steps: (1) assure all school-age children and teens access to after-school, weekend, and summer youth development programs to shut down the “prime time for juvenile crime”; (2) assure all babies and preschool children access to early childhood care and school readiness programs proven to cut crime; (3) help parents, early childhood caregivers, and schools identify and assist troubled and disruptive children at an early age, and provide children and their parents the counseling and training that can help equip children with the social emotional skills needed for success; and (4) prevent child abuse and neglect by providing resources and well-trained child protective services to safeguard endangered children and offering high-risk parents the in-home parent-coaching programs proven to cut in half abuse, neglect, and subsequent teen delinquency. The brief asserts that investing in children and youth now will have monetary benefits later in the form of savings to crime victims and society. A list of crime and violence prevention policy recommendations specifically for the state of Illinois concludes the brief. (KB)
