Developmental Crime Prevention

An important form of primary prevention entails actions that would alter the drive and motivation of potential offenders at a more basic level. Developmental crime prevention targets the potential of individuals to become criminal. The basic assumption is that criminal and deviant activity is the result of early life experiences and learning, and societal failure to address those factors predisposes individuals, particularly youths, to crime. This chapter seeks to outline the basic ideas and arguments underlying developmental prevention, investigate the related issues of risk and protective factors, and discuss several major developmental prevention programs (such as skills training and parental education) and initiatives that have been shown to impact later crime and delinquency.