ContextOne of the best strategies to combat juvenile delinquency is the adoption of a youth crime prevention program. Crime prevention programs aim to reduce an individual's potential to become a criminal. The theory guiding these types of programs is that criminal and deviant activity is the result of early life experiences and learning. These programs focus on what drives individuals to commit deviant acts in order to identify ways in which this activity can be stopped (Lab, 2014). A key element of crime prevention programs in development is the identification of risk and protective factors for crime. A risk factor is any variable that increases the probability of subsequently committing a crime, while a protective factor is any variable that interacts with a risk factor to minimize its effects. The two categories of risk factors that tend to attract the most attention in developmental crime prevention programs are individual- and family-level risk factors. Examples of these types of risk factors are low intelligence and academic performance, and poor parental supervision, respectively (Lab, 2014). Once these factors are identified, programs are designed to counteract risk factors and enhance protective factors. An interesting feature, unique to development prevention, is that crime reduction tends to be an indirect consequence of most programs. Many programs are initially implemented to improve early childhood outcomes by increasing cognitive skills, academic achievement, building strong bonds with family and school, and more. This is done long before delinquency or crimes can be measured. One type of program that could fit into developmental crime prevention is a preschool enrichment pr... middle of paper... follow-up listening to a randomized, controlled trial. Journal of the American Medical Association, 280(14), 1238-1244.Reynolds, A. J., Temple, J. A., Robertson, D., & Mann, E. (2001). Long-term effects of an early childhood intervention on academic achievement and juvenile arrest: A 15-year follow-up of low-income children in public schools. Journal of The American Medical Association, 285(18), 2339-2346.Reynolds, A. J., Temple, J. A., Robertson, D. L., & Mann, E. A. (2002). 21-year cost-benefit analysis of Chicago's Title I parent-child centers. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 24(4), 267-303.Reynolds, A. J. (2000). Success in early intervention: Child parenting centers of Chicago. Lincoln, Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press. Tonry, M., & Farrington, D. P. (1995). Strategic approaches to crime prevention. Crime and justice: A review of the research, 19, 1-20.