• Supporting the family and community
  institutions which serve youth.
  
• Recognizing that prevention is the most cost-effective approach to combat youth crime.
  
• Intervening immediately and effectively
  when delinquent behavior begins.
  
• Identifying and controlling the small group
  of serious violent offenders through a range of graduated sanctions.

The comprehensive Strategy looks at issues which affect the quality of life for youth in a community, particularly those issues which research demonstrates, place youth at higher risk for developing juvenile delinquency behaviors.

Across the community there are many initiatives underway. Each program, while designed to meet the needs of youth, must also be tailored to fit the needs of the funder. When the needs of the community are so great and the scope of the problems so multifaceted it seems that the problems exceed our capabilities to solve them.

In the past, we have made progress, then funding opportunities have shifted focus forcing programs with promising results to cease. Thus, new programs must be created.

To effectively address the needs of our youth, it is imperative that we collectively identify our priority problems and needs. We must determine where our efforts and dollars must be focused to achieve the greatest outcomes.

HOW WILL THE STRATEGY WORK?