This is also a problem for the courts. Judge Patricia West, a juvenile court judge from Virginia, stated in her presentation that the lack of information regarding prior criminal history makes it difficult for judges to make appropriate sentencing determinations. Improving access to information will also assist prosecutors and other law enforcement officials in combatting gang violence. The success of Boston's Operation Night Light was attributable in large part to information sharing with other jurisdictions to track the movement of gang members and prevent them from slipping through the cracks. The subgroup recommends that Congress provide grant assistance to state and local agencies, and regional consortia, for multi-jurisdictional case management and information sharing efforts.
Effective solutions require the involvement of parents and families.
Law enforcement efforts that enlist the active involvement of parents and guardians are among the most successful and cost-effective strategies for early intervention and prevention. Such strategies include truancy and home visitation programs. Research has shown that many juvenile delinquents begin their involvement with crime as truants. Efforts to prevent and reduce truancy can be useful in identifying children at risk of delinquency and crime and offer a cost-effective approach for reducing the incidence of youth violence. The Brooklyn truancy program, T.R.A.C.K., has, as its central component, a requirement that parents or guardians be contacted at the time a child is brought into the program.