Reducing youth crime in Basildon through drug abuse intervention

Volunteers in Community Safety

The percentage of youth offenders in the UK has skyrocketed in the recent years. One of the main reasons for this saddening statistic is the increase in the number of drug/alcohol abusers among the youth. As a youth offender's officer, I deeply feel that there is a need of intervention so as to save the future of today's youth. This is paramount since as has been evident in certain countries such as New Zealand that there are always a relatively small number of hard-core young offenders who are in fact repeat offenders. This small group of repeat offenders has been observed in the past to possess very lengthy careers in crime and they have also committed a surprisingly disproportional level of crime. The behaviour of youth offenders in various countries in Europe and Western countries most certainly is affected by their indulgence drugs.

This case study concerns my proposal as a certified youth offender officers in the improvement of safety and crime in Basildon District in Essex. As a youth offender's officer, I am mandated by the state to aid youths in the country in developing their personalities to become better and responsible citizens. This paper describes my proposal in improving the safety of the residents of Basildon in Essex community while at the same time considerably reducing the level of crime in the same community. The project is to be carried out through an organization which is dubbed "The Better Youth Foundation" which is an initiative with several stakeholders ranging from individuals, corporate entities and the Home Office.

This project is aimed at improving the overall safety and reducing crimes in the Basildon Community by reduction of drug related crime. The focus is however on the youth.

Background of the problem

Substance abuse is one of the major causes of social and economic problems in most UK communities. The use of certain drugs has been connected to certain instances of crime and economic strife. This case study concentrates on the effects of drug abuse in the UK communities with a strong inclination towards its influence of the number of crimes in the community. The issue of substance abuse has also been connected to poverty in various incidences.

The use of alcohol is very detrimental to the lives of today youth. Various studies have shown that several teenagers who engage in heavy drinking do have particular areas of their brains affected adversely. The particular parts that are affected are the parts that are responsible for performing memorization and learning capabilities. This leads to the brain's inability to retain certain information. The involvement of the youth in various forms of drug abuse has resulted in several problematic incidences of health and crime related issues. The problem is further compounded by the fact that most youth do believe that they are totally immune to the detrimental effects of drug abuse. The majority of the youth therefore reach their prime age while suffering from the various effects of alcohol poisoning or being incarcerated due to the crimes that they committed while under the influence of the various drugs.

This case study presents a workable plan for various UK communities and youth groups that is aimed at enlightening the youth on the various dangers that they expose themselves to whenever they engage in substance abuse and also improving the safety of Basildon District in particular through the cumulative effort of an organization and various stakeholders. The recommendations include the proper mechanisms that must be applied by the youth and the society as a whole in combating substance abuse and its related pitfalls such as crime. In particular we concentrated on the relationship that exists between drug abuse and crime. The aim of the programme is to tailor-make the various requirements for the affected or at-risks youths in order to meet their unique and individual requirements.

The level of drug use in the youth in UK communities

The programme is to evaluate the various level of drug use in various UK communities as documented in various literatures. It was note that the highest level of illicit drug use was in the European Union (Hibbell et al., 2004).A study conducted in 2003 among the users of cannabis shown that about 41% were boys and about 35% were girls.

Description of the organization

The Better Youth Foundation is an organization whose objective and basic mantra is to alleviate crime and violence that results due to substance abuse among the youth in Essex. The organization is to operate at the community level and has various offices that are located in various crimes prone of Basildon. The Better Youth Foundation is structured to enjoy the full support of the residents of Essex. There are various stakeholders in this project. The major stakeholders are the Essex police department and the Home Office.

The organization together with its stakeholders has come up with the best action plan that is dedicated to achieving its main objectives. The action plan is devised in form of a strategy that is aimed at improving the overall safety of all residents of Essex. The organization is structured to include various professionals who are specialized in handling cases of youth crime and violence. The main strategies involved in the operation of the organization are; Early intervention to give support to the affected families and the youth themselves, establishment of various crime prevention programs, the provision of more police to aid in the improvement of security to come up with various counselling centres to support the victims of crime and violence.

Stakeholders' multiple interests their needs and positions

The main stakeholders in the initiative include the Government through the Home office, local authorities and the Essex Police among various private sponsor groups and individuals.

The government's interests, needs and position are geared towards providing a habitable environment to its citizens. This is the key role of the government and it is reflected in the organization through its financial and logistical support. The government is a major sponsor in most of the crime related initiatives across the country. Therefore the position that the government takes in the process of youth crime prevention is paramount to the maintenance of peace, unity and harmony among its citizens.

The local authorities are also involved in the coordination of events that are varied out by various initiatives in the Essex community. It is therefore crucial for the Basildon District Council to partner with The Better Youth Foundation in improving the overall crime and safety of all members of Basildon community.

Power and stratification within the organisation

The Better Youth project is an initiative that is headed by the UK government through the home office. Most of the administrative decisions are made by the Home Office through the Directors who is chosen by the home office. The projects are to be done through the direct supervision of both the Home Office and the various stakeholders.

Engagement with the community

My engagement with the community is based on patriotism. As a citizen of the UK, I feel that it is my responsibility to ensure that our youth and the general society are safe from all forms of violence and drug abuse.

An analysis of the impact of the initiative

The impact of the initiative is widespread. This ranges from positive effects to the general community, the state and to the whole world. At the local level the residents of Basildon Community would experience a general reduction in the level of crime and violence that is relate to drug use. To the private sectors, there will be an increased level of investment in the Basildon Community accelerated by the increased and better security structure.

Implementation of the project

The process of implementing the project is to be achieved through a very strictly supervised .process headed by the home Office. This is despite the various long history of failure to implement various crime reduction projects in the past (Hope and Murphy, 1983).It is therefore crucial to determine the success rate of the project prior to its implementation stage.

Concluding remarks

The project is to be carried out with the main aim of reducing drug related crime in the society by making use of both local resources and otherwise. The hegemonic elements in the project can however result in its rejection by a portion of the Basildon Community since it imposes some ideas that some youths may not like.

Terminologies

Citizenship- is the unique relationship that comes in the form of accountability between individuals living in territories within the state.

Hegemony- refers to the control of one entity over another. The entities do however reside within the same group.