Culmination of a survey and review conducted by a U.S. Department of Justice Work Group and COSMOS Corporation.

The Nation's juvenile justice system is at a crossroads. We face a disturbing increase in violent crimes committed by American juveniles, and an alarming rise in abuse, neglect, and gun violence perpetuated against this country's youth. In light of this emerging crisis and its complexity, we can no longer afford to focus narrowly on individual disciplines. To seriously address the rising levels of juvenile crime across the United States, especially youth gun violence, all members of the community, including specialists in relevant policy and academic areas, must participate. Reducing violence and building healthier and safer communities requires planning that is collaborative and comprehensive. Collectively, we must launch a two-pronged assault on juvenile delinquency and youth gun violence. Both a commitment to prevention and early intervention and a strong focus on law enforcement and a comprehensive system of graduated sanctions are crucial to this battle.

To assess whether an initiative to reduce gun violence that had been successful in Boston could be adapted for use elsewhere, researchers selected an East Los Angeles area for a similar intervention that was to include both law enforcement and social service components. Although the latter component was not widely available when the intervention began, researchers found that the intervention helped reduce violent and gang crime in the targeted districts and that crime also decreased in surrounding communities.