The study will focus on prevention as a strategy for deterring youth from becoming involved in criminal activity and becoming the victims of crime.  It will examine the role of the State in helping California communities to effectively achieve those outcomes – and realize the promise of prevention.

Goals initially identified for the study include:
 

• Documenting current prevention efforts.  Numerous government agencies and foundations fund programs that address youth crime and violence prevention, but there is no single repository or comprehensive accounting of that information.  A key goal for the study will be to identify current prevention efforts and quantify the funding that accompanies them.

• Assessing how well prevention efforts are working.  The public and policy-makers often have little idea how prevention programs are working, whether or not scarce prevention dollars are being well-spent, and how to wisely make future investments in prevention.  Current research and the experiences of local communities will assist the Commission to assess the effectiveness of existing prevention efforts and the adequacy of funding and program evaluation.

• Designing a prevention agenda. Through its examination, the Commission can provide evidence and guidelines for a statewide prevention agenda that holds the promise of successfully preventing child victimization and juvenile delinquency.