ED466442 2002-07-00 Law-Related

Education and Delinquency Prevention.

ERIC Digest.

ERIC Development Team

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Law-Related Education and Delinquency Prevention. ERIC Digest...... 1

THE CONNECTION BETWEEN LRE AND DELINQUENCY

PREVENTION............................................................. 2

THE IMPACT OF SUCCESSFUL DELINQUENCY PREVENTION

PROGRAMS............................................................... 3

FUTURE DIRECTIONS........................................................ 5

ERIC Identifier: ED466442

Publication Date: 2002-07-00

Author: Parrini, Michelle

Source: ERIC Clearinghouse for Social Studies/Social Science Education Bloomington

IN.

Law-Related Education and Delinquency

Prevention. ERIC Digest.

THIS DIGEST WAS CREATED BY ERIC, THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES

INFORMATION CENTER. FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT ERIC, CONTACT

ACCESS ERIC 1-800-LET-ERIC

Evidence from research/evaluation studies indicates that the principles underlying

law-related education (LRE) programs address the factors that put youth at risk for

ED466442 2002-07-00 Law-Related Education and Delinquency Prevention. ERIC

Digest.

Page 1 of 6
delinquency. Although rigorous evaluations of LRE are limited, what evidence exists

suggests that LRE has potential to prevent delinquency and problem behavior (Caliber

2002). This Digest discusses (1) the connection between LRE and delinquency

prevention, (2) the impact of successful LRE on delinquency prevention, and (3) future

directions of LRE programs that address delinquency.

THE CONNECTION BETWEEN LRE AND

DELINQUENCY PREVENTION.

Since the late 1960s, LRE has been implemented in schools and communities across

the country to teach youth about law and justice. Characteristics of successful LRE

programs are (1) a focus on essential LRE knowledge and skills; (2) judicious, balanced

selection and presentation of issues and materials to ensure depth of analysis; (3)

quantity of instruction sufficient to achieve desired change; (4) use of interactive

instructional strategies; (5) opportunities for youth to interact constructively with

resource persons; (6) active involvement and support of administrators; and (7) support

networks for teachers/instructors (American Bar Association Special Committee on

Youth Education for Citizenship 1995). These general characteristics of effective LRE

are also applicable to programs designed to prevent delinquency (Caliber 2002).

A variety of factors put youth at risk for delinquency and other problem behaviors, such

as:

* academic failure

* lack of commitment to school

* friends who engage in problem behaviors

* favorable attitude toward problem behavior

* early initiation of problem behavior

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Digest.
* low neighborhood attachment

These factors have been linked to substance abuse, delinquency, teen pregnancy,

school drop out, and violence (Caliber 2002).

Aspects of LRE that may protect youth against delinquency are (1) caring, support, and

bonding; (2) opportunities to participate in decision making and planning and to hold

positions of authority; (3) high expectations and rewards for behavior; and (4) clear

norms for healthy behaviors (Caliber 2002). These protective factors build youth

developmental assets and promote resiliency and successful adaptation to stressful

events in the face of risk factors.

Resiliency consists of four major elements:

* social competence (characterized by empathy, caring, communication skills, and

resistance skills)

* problem solving (characterized by critical reasoning skills, decision making, and

planning)

* autonomy (characterized by feelings of efficacy, high self-esteem, sense of

independence, and impulse control)

* sense of purpose and future success (characterized by planning and goal setting,

delaying gratification, and belief in the future).

Programs that reduce risk factors and enhance protective factors to promote resiliency

are most likely to prevent delinquency (Caliber 2002).

THE IMPACT OF SUCCESSFUL DELINQUENCY

PREVENTION PROGRAMS.

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ED466442 2002-07-00 Law-Related Education and Delinquency Prevention. ERIC

Digest.

Page 3 of 6
Several evaluation/research studies provide evidence of positive effects of LRE on

delinquency prevention and youth development. This section summarizes the results of

these studies, which are described in detail in "The Promise of LRE as Delinquency

Prevention" by Caliber Associates, published in 2002 by the American Bar Association

Division for Public Education. (This publication, Technical Bulletin No. 19, can be

obtained by writing to the ABA National LRE Resource Center, 541 N. Fairbanks Court,

Chicago, IL 60611-3314; by e-mail at abapubed@abanet.org; or by calling

312-988-5735.)

Through the use of interactive teaching strategies, LRE has potential to increase

academic achievement; promote more favorable attitudes toward school, teachers, and

schoolwork; and to inspire greater commitment to school. Youth who are attached or

bonded to school and teachers and show increased academic performance are less

likely to become delinquent. Program evaluations have demonstrated a relationship

between LRE and improvement in classroom participation, enthusiasm for school and

class, and regular attendance - all potential indicators of commitment to school.

Youth who participate in LRE demonstrate significant gains in knowledge of law and the

legal process when compared to control groups of youth. This finding, coupled with

studies that found a positive relationship between LRE and enhanced general academic

performance, indicates that LRE is potentially effective for addressing academic failure.

Programs that set high expectations for youth, reward achievement, and help youth to

develop positive beliefs and clear standards for healthy behavior have been shown to

reduce risk of violence and other delinquent behaviors. These practices, allied with

resiliency skills and positive bonding with prosocial adults, also contribute indirectly to

risk reduction by reducing the chances of association with delinquent peers and, if

initiated in early grades, by reducing the likelihood of early initiation of delinquent

behaviors.

LRE effectively teaches belief in the rules governing behavior in the classroom, school,

and community by demonstrating that rules and laws merit compliance when they are

reasonable and fairly applied.

LRE instructors determine the rules and expectations of the LRE classroom and instill

belief in and commitment to them, often with youth participation. Instructors set high

expectations for behavior and reward achievement through competitions and

recognition ceremonies upon completion of most programs. Further, introducing

resource persons in positions of authority as positive role models demonstrates healthy

behaviors and enhances adherence to prosocial standards and social norms among

students.

LRE also builds resilience by developing problem solving, critical thinking, and

reasoning skills through challenging content and interactive strategies. Interactive

strategies help youth develop purpose, independence, and autonomy. LRE's emphasis

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Digest.
on young people as resources contributes to self-esteem and positive outlook on the

future and builds political tolerance and perceptions of control of one's political freedom.

Youth who participate in LRE learn a number of prosocial skills, including conflict

management. They also demonstrate greater empathy for crime victims. LRE tends to

improve several life-skills areas, including identifying problems, generating options,

evaluating circumstances, reaching agreements and solutions, and communicating

(Wright 1996).

Research on conflict resolution and violence prevention curricula has shown that

teaching youth problem solving skills, dispute resolution, and other socially acceptable

means for handling conflict can address the risk factors of early initiation of problem

behaviors and association with delinquent peers. Some evaluations of LRE programs

have shown a possible link between LRE and reduction of early initiation of problem

behaviors. Youth who participate in LRE appear to have fewer disciplinary problems

both in and out of school and have low recidivism rates (Brown and DeLapp 1995).

Service learning and other hands-on field experiences provide opportunities for youth to

participate in prosocial activities using the skills that they have learned for prosocial

interaction. Such experiences also tend to instill healthy beliefs and clear standards for

youth.

Most LRE programs promote active citizenship among youth. Through hands-on

interactive strategies, use of resource persons, and action or field projects, LRE

students have opportunities to engage constructively with their surroundings and to

promote the public good (Caliber Associates 2002).

FUTURE DIRECTIONS.

Although rigorous impact evaluations of LRE programs are limited, the types of program

strategies employed by LRE consistently appear to address risk factors and to

contribute positively to resiliency-protective factors and delinquency prevention. "The

Promise of Law-Related Education as Delinquency Prevention" (Caliber Associates

2002) concludes that future program planning and evaluation should more directly and

pervasively address the links between LRE and delinquency.

Adopting additional characteristics of effective prevention programs to enhance the

delinquency prevention potential of LRE should be explored. Possibilities include (1)

early start and long-term commitment to LRE programs; (2) age-appropriate

interventions; (3) strategies to address research-based risk and protective factors; (4)

targeting at-risk youth; (5) evidence-based practice in every phase of a program; (6)

interagency partnerships and community linkages; and (7) comprehensive approaches

that combine various strategies and procedures.

Title: Law-Related Education and Delinquency Prevention. ERIC Digest.

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ED466442 2002-07-00 Law-Related Education and Delinquency Prevention. ERIC

Digest.

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Document Type: Information Analyses---ERIC Information Analysis Products (IAPs)

(071); Information Analyses---ERIC Digests (Selected) in Full Text (073);

Available From: ERIC Clearinghouse for Social Studies/Social Science Education,

2805 East Tenth Street, Suite 120, Bloomington, IN 47408. Tel: 800-266-3815 (Toll

Free); Fax: 812-855-0455; e-mail: ericso@indiana.edu. For full text:

http://ericso.indiana.edu/.

Descriptors: Delinquency Prevention, Elementary Secondary Education, Law Related

Education, Social Studies, Student Behavior, Youth Problems

Identifiers: ERIC Digests, Program Characteristics, Risk Communication

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