ABSTRACT

This chapter focuses on prevention efforts that aim to reduce serious antisocial behaviour and involvement in crime in early adulthood. It concentrates on developmental prevention and includes both universal and targeted prevention. The chapter provides an overview of the prevention programmes. It distinguishes four types of prevention such as criminal justice prevention, situational prevention, community prevention and developmental prevention. The prevention programme consisted of three components: social skills training, parent training and teacher support. Moreover, the effects of the programmes on educational achievement and mental health later in life were more consistent and higher than the effects on crime. It is possible that a tighter focus on specific risk factors for antisocial behaviour would improve the effectiveness of these programmes for crime prevention. Some of the programmes provide no evidence that the participants were significantly less likely than control group participants to be involved in crime during adulthood.