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Monterey County’s youth crime prevention programs are producing positive results, according to a new report. The programs show promise to be more widely implemented in the near future provided they can get proper funding.

The study followed more than 100 juvenile offenders who were enrolled in eight separate country intervention programs. It found that the programs helped to keep more young offenders from offending again as shown by the fact that those who did not participate in the program were more likely to commit another crime.

While gang activity is on the rise in Monterey County, supporters of these programs hope that more resources will be devoted to help curb it before it becomes a much bigger problem.

Finding Funding

“If our intent is to reduce crime, our behaviors must follow,” said co-author of the study, Marie Glavin. The study is prepared each year as part of the Juvenile Justice Crime Prevention Act (JJCPA).

“What we have is good, we just need more of it,” said chief of the county’s probation department, Manny Real, who oversees several of the county’s juvenile programs. “To reduce recidivism, (intervention and prevention) are the most cost-effective thing we can do.”

Positive Results

For the past three years, Monterey County has seen a steady decline in the juvenile crime rate, and Manny Real attributes this in part to the youth programs. The data shows that felony arrests are down 15.4 percent.

“When you put in some resources, you can have a positive effect on the juvenile crime rate,” said Real. “It’s cost-effective to put your money at the front end.”

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