Last updated: 2000 www.ojjdp.gov/mpg

 Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention www.ojjdp.gov 1

Prevention 

Traditionally, the juvenile justice system has focused on dealing with youth after an initial contact with 

the local juvenile court. While this reactive emphasis on delinquent behavior is still prominent and 

necessary, the last 20 years has seen the emergence of a proactive approach to help stem the swell of 

delinquent youth. This new approach is known as the public health model of crime prevention. 

The public health model focuses on reducing the risk of and increasing resiliency against illness and 

disease. With its emphasis on prevention of disease or injury, the public health approach to violence 

offers an appealing alternative to an exclusive focus on rehabilitation or punishment. Thus, other 

disciplines outside the public health field, such as criminal justice, have begun to adopt this multilevel 

approach to understand the nature of violence and identify potential points of intervention. In the 

context of delinquency prevention, the public health model focuses on reducing the risk of and 

increasing resiliency against problem behavior. It offers a practical, scientifically based procedure to 

promote and maintain prosocial behavior. In essence, the public health approach follows a four-step 

procedure to identify problems and develop solutions for entire population groups (Hamburg 1998). 

These steps are 1) define the nature of the problem using scientific methods (i.e., data); 2) identify 

potential causes through analyses of risk and protective factors associated with the problem; 3) design, 

develop, and evaluate interventions; and 4) disseminate successful models as part of education and 

outreach. 

It should be noted that risk and protective factors are neither causes nor cures. Rather, risk and 

protective factors are statistical predictors that each have a strong theoretical base. They can be defined 

in the following manner: 

 Risk factors are personal characteristics or environmental conditions scientifically established

to increase the likelihood of problem behavior (Kirby and Fraser 1997).

 Protective factors are personal characteristics or environmental conditions that interact with

risk factors scientifically established to reduce the likelihood of problem behavior.

The potential for an individual to engage in delinquent behavior is expressed as an algorithm of risk 

and protective factors that, over the developmental process, increase or decrease the likelihood that a 

given youth will engage in problem behaviors (delinquency, substance abuse, school dropout, 

HIV/AIDS risk behavior, or others). The framework indicates that no single factor is essential but 

rather multiple factors (both risk and protective) combine to contribute to and shape behavior over 

Suggested Reference: Development Services Group, Inc. 2000. “Prevention.” Literature review. Washington, D.C.: Office of 

Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. https://www.ojjdp.gov/mpg/litreviews/Prevention.pdf 

Prepared by Development Services Group, Inc., under cooperative agreement number 2013–JF–FX–K002. Points of view or 

opinions expressed in this document are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of 

OJJDP or the U.S. Department of Justice.
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention www.ojjdp.gov 2

the course of adolescent development. It suggests that the more risk factors present in life, the greater 

the probability of problem behaviors (Bry, McKeon, and Pandina 1982; Newcomb 1995). The negative 

influence of risk factors, however, can be moderated by the presence of certain protective factors to 

build a resiliency against problem behaviors (Garmezy 1985; Werner 1994). 

Some researchers advocated for a paradigm shift in the prevention field to concentrate exclusively on 

building resiliency rather than on trying to reduce risks (Bernard 1991; Benson 1997). These researchers 

argue that an emphasis on risks is an emphasis on deficits and that a prevention strategy would produce 

more significant outcomes by concentrating on building strengths. However, current research suggests 

that neglecting risk by concentrating solely on resiliency is incomplete as a strategy for reducing the 

prevalence of problem behavior. Pollard and colleagues (1999) found that a strategy that concentrates 

on resiliency at the expense of risks is less likely to reduce problem behaviors than a strategy that is 

effective in both enhancing protective factors and reducing risk factors. 

Today, many juvenile delinquency prevention programs use variations of this approach but have been 

unsuccessful because they do not adequately address both risks and resiliency. In other words, they 

concentrate too heavily on risk factors without addressing protective factors that decrease the 

likelihood of problem behavior. Or they concentrate too heavily on improving resiliency without 

addressing the source of the risks. Instead, the design of effective prevention programs and strategies 

should consider the dynamics and interrelationship of both types of factors (Pollard, Hawkins, and 

Arthur 1999). 

As a result, the prevention side of the MPG database offers two unique search options. First, it 

incorporates a search engine that utilizes the risk and protective factors framework to help guide 

communities through the public health model. Secondly, it offers a traditional option to search the 

universe of prevention and intervention programs to assist communities that are not interested in 

utilizing the risk and protective factor framework.

References

Benson, P. 1997. All Kids Are Our Kids: What Communities Must Do to Raise Caring and Responsible 

Children and Adolescents. San Francisco, Calif.: Jossey-Bass.

Bernard, B. 1991. Fostering Resiliency in Kids: Protective Factors in the Family, School, and Community. 

Portland, Ore.: Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory.

Bry, B.H.; P. McKeon; and R. Pandina. 1982. “Extent of Drug Use as a Function of Number of Risk 

Factors.” Journal of Abnormal Psychology 91:273–79.

Garmezy, N. 1985. “Effects of Residential Treatment on Adjudicated Delinquents: A Meta-Analysis.” 

Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency 22:287–308.

Hamburg, M. A. 1998. “Youth Violence is A Public Health Concern.” In D. S. Elliott, B. A. Hamburg, 

and K. R. Williams (eds.). Violence in American Schools: A New Perspective. Cambridge, United 

Kingdom: Cambridge University Press.

Hawkins, J.D., and R.F. Catalano. 1992. Communities That Care. San Francisco, Calif.: Jossey-Bass.

Howell, J.C. 1995. Guide for Implementing the Comprehensive Strategy for Serious, Violent, and Chronic 

Juvenile Offenders. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, 

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.

Jessor, R. et al. 1995. “Protective Factors in Adolescent Problem Behavior: Moderator Effects and 

Developmental Change.” Developmental Psychology 31(6): 923–33.

Kirby, L.D., and M.W. Fraser. 1997. “Risk and Resilience in Childhood.” In M.W. Fraser (ed.). Risk and 

Resilience in Childhood. Washington, D.C.: National Association of Social Workers.
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention www.ojjdp.gov 3

Kumpfer, K.L. 1993. Strengthening America’s Families: Promising Parenting Strategies for Delinquency 

Prevention—User’s Guide. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice 

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Newcomb, M.D. 1995. “Identifying High-Risk Youth: Prevalence and Patterns of Adolescent Drug 

Use.” In E. Rahdert, D. Czechowicz, and I. Amsel (eds.). Adolescent Drug Use: Clinical 

Assessment and Therapeutic Intervention. Rockville, Md.: National Institute on Drug Abuse. 

Pollard, J.; J.D. Hawkins; and M. Arthur. 1999. “Risk and Protection: Are Both Necessary to 

Understand Diverse Behavioral Outcomes in Adolescence?” Social Work Research 23(3):145–58. 

Rende, R., and R. Plomin. 1993. “Families at Risk for Psychopathology: Who Becomes Affected and 

Why?” Development and Psychopathology 5: 529–40.

Rutter, M. 1985. “Resilience in the Face of Adversity: Protective Factors and Resistance to Psychiatric 

Disorder.” British Journal of Psychiatry 147: 598–611.

Rutter, M. 1987. “Psychosocial Resilience and Protective Mechanisms.” American Journal of 

Orthopsychiatry 57: 316–31. 

Rutter, M. 1990. “Psychosocial Resilience and Protective Mechanisms.” In J. Rolf, A.S. Matsen, D. 

Cicchetti, N.H. Nuechterlein, and S. Weintraub (eds.). Risk and Protective Factors in the 

Development of Psychopathology. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.

Sherman, Lawrence W., Denise C. Gottfredson, Doris Layton MacKenzie, John E. Eck, Peter Reuter, 

and Shawn D. Bushway. 1997. Preventing Crime: What Works, What Doesn’t, What’s Promising. 

Report to the U.S. Congress. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Justice, National Institute 

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Small, S.A., and T. Luster. 1994. “Adolescent Sexual Activity: An Ecological Risk-Factor Approach.” 

Journal of Marriage and the Family 56:181–92.

Stattin, H., and D. Magnusson. 1996. “Antisocial Development: A Holistic Approach.” Development 

and Psychopathology 8:617–45.

Sterling, S.; E.L. Cowen; R. Weissberg; B.S. Lotyczewske; and M. Boike. 1985. “Recent Stressful Life 

Events and Young Children’s School Adjustment.” American Journal of Community Psychology 

13(1):87–98.

Werner, E.E. 1989. “Vulnerability and Resistance: A Longitudinal Perspective.” In M. Brambring, F. 

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Werner, E.E. 1994. “Overcoming the Odds.” Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics 15:131–36.