Scared crooked
'Get tough' programs for youths criticized
Tactics may worsen problem, panel says
By Laura Meckler, Associated Press | October 16, 2004
WASHINGTON -- Boot camps and other ''get tough" programs for adolescents do not prevent criminal behavior, as intended, and may make the problem even worse, an expert panel concluded yesterday.
Further, laws transferring juveniles into the adult court system lead these teens to commit more violence, while there is no proof they deter others from committing crime, the panel said.
Programs that offer intensive counseling for families and young people at risk, however, are more promising, it said.
The 13-member panel of experts, convened by the National Institutes of Health, reviewed scientific evidence to look for consensus on causes of youth violence and ways to prevent it.
'''Scare tactics' don't work," the panel concluded in its report. ''Programs that seek to prevent violence through fear and tough treatment do not work."
