Government Applications against Cyber Bullying

“The peak age for property crime is believed to be 16 and for violence 18.” (Siegel and Worrall 2016). When crime rates were up in the 1980’s, it was caused mostly from young people. Young people are talked into peer pressure, they may not have money and may resort to criminal acts for an income. (Siegel and Worrall 2016) With youth programs in place, to help educate our children of the significance of being a good citizen and deterring from criminal activities, while showing them that police officers are there for help and support, we are able to help shape their minds into upstanding citizens and decreasing the chances of them turning to crime. Some of the youth programs include ride along’s, adults in the making, D.A.R.E, (drug abuse resistance education, ART( aggression replacement training), BBBS (big brother, big sister, better future programs), interventions targeting street – connected youth, bully prevention programs and intervention to reduce dating and sexual violence.

These programs are funded by the federal government through the federal office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), which was established by the Supreme Court through the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Act of 1974. (JJDP Act) These were created to seek out and establish prevention programs in the juvenile justice process. (Siegal and Worrall 2016) Drug Prevention is a major link to crime prevention. Drug users are known to partake in criminal activities. When someone is using drugs, they may act or partake in violent crimes as an effect of the drug use, especially violent crimes. Another reason that drug use leads to criminal activities is the need for money to fund their drug habit, which many people turn to crime for funding.

Also, when drug users are buying drugs, it promotes the supply and demand. Supplier’s use drug trafficking and violent crimes to maintain their drug business. When treatment is offered and used by the offender, levels of crime decrease. (Tilley 2009). This is why it is so important to have prevention programs in place, to deter the crime before it takes place. D.A.R.E (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) was established in 1983 by the Los Angeles police department and the Los Angeles unified school district to educate students on drug addiction, gangs and violence. D.A.R.E is an interactive school program, where students are informed of the consequences of drug use, how it affects a person physically, socially, and personally.

Students are also informed of the consequences of gangs, street violence, cyber bullying, and internet safety. They have changed the curriculum over the years, making decision – making skills and improving communication the top priority. (Montvilo, Robin Kamienny, PhD 2016) I can remember the D.A.R.E. program when I was in school. I remember how it was a positive experience and helped me to understand the importance of “just say no!” I also remember the police officer coming into the classroom to sit and talk with us. This is so important for our youth to be able to view police officers in a different perspective other than law enforcement. They bring in police officers with the intention of the students viewing the officer as friends, not an enemy.

I think D.A.R.E plays a very significant role for educating our youth about crime prevention. Although, studies have shown no impact from this program, the studies were not used with pretest/post format. Without this, it makes it difficult to know if there actually was an impact or not. D.A.R.E is continuously remodeling their program to make it more effective. D.A.R.E is in every state in the United States and almost 50 other countries. (Monvilo) Gangs are a major problem in the United States.

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