Prevention

Prevention Subcommittee

The purpose of the Prevention Subcommittee is to develop recommendations for policy on effective crime and disorder prevention strategies for youth, families, and adults throughout the justice system in Jefferson County. The subcommittee is taking a two-pronged approach to crime prevention, combining the use of research-based environmental strategies and evidence-based individual strategies.  Environmental strategies, such as problem-oriented policing and environmental design, prevent crimes by reducing the opportunity for people to commit them.  Individual strategies prevent individuals from developing criminal behavior patterns through their participation in evidence-based delinquency, violence, and substance abuse prevention programs.  For both approaches, the Subcommittee reviews current practices, analyzes strengths and weaknesses, and makes recommendations to the CJSPC and other entities about the implementation of or the pursuit of sustainable funding and staffing for evidence-based prevention initiatives.

Under the direction of the CJSPC, the subcommittee is currently focusing its efforts on juvenile substance abuse prevention. Using the two-pronged approach, the subcommittee’s environmental strategy involves researching and targeting how and where youth obtain alcohol. Its individual strategy promotes LifeSkills Training (LST) in Jefferson County Schools and the Nurse Family Partnership (NFP) for expecting mothers involved in the justice system. Both programs are evidence-based and have demonstrated substance abuse prevention outcomes and substantial cost-savings (see: www.wsipp.wa.gov/rptfiles/04-07-3901.pdf ).

Through increased use of effective prevention programs and initiatives, crime and delinquency rates will decrease, and the workload of the Jefferson County justice system will be reduced. 

Bill Kilpatrick, Chief of Police of the Golden Police Department, is the chair. Meetings are on the first Thursday of each month. This subcommittee formed in the fall of 2004.  Please contact Dorian Wilson or Mike Jones for more information.

Current Projects

Increasing the Use of Evidence-Based Prevention Programs

Jefferson County Criminal Justice Planning (CJP) assists the Prevention Subcommittee in increasing the use of crime and delinquency prevention programs and practices that have been demonstrated effective through the most rigorous research standards. The Subcommittee's efforts began with an inventory of crime delinquency prevention programs available in Jefferson County.  Please click here to see a color coded and indexed summary of that inventory.

Based on direction from the Criminal Justice Strategic Planning Committee, the Prevention Subcommittee is currently focusing on juvenile substance abuse prevention.  In doing so, the Subcommittee facilitates collaboration between criminal justice agencies and agencies from education, public health, and human services to increase the use of programs that have demonstrated substance abuse prevention outcomes.  For example, the group has committed to assist in implementing, expanding, and sustaining two evidence-based "individual strategy" programs, in particular, throughout Jefferson County.  The programs are Botvin's LifeSkills Training and the Nurse Family Partnership.  At the same time, the Subcommittee is also working with local law enforcement agencies to reveiw environmental strategies for reducing opportunities for youth to obtain and use alcohol and other drugs.  The Subcommittee also offers technical assistance through CJP staff to agencies that would like to assess their substance abuse prevention programs' outcomes and impact.  For additional information, please contact Dorian Wilson or Mike Jones.

Last Modified: Feb 28, 2011 10:05 AM