Question

you are a social worker on a task force consisting of the city gang unit, social workers, local educators, child psychologists and other community members whose aim is to address gang problems in the city. during a meeting, detective coterie shared the profile of 14-year-old jordan. following the comprehensive community-wide gang program model (or spergel model), you believe that there are two options available for working with jordan. a prevention strategy may be used to steer jordan away from gang activity since they are not currently active. an intervention approach may also be used because they may be involved enough to warrant this type of aggressive involvement.
what would you do?

you recommend intervention. this method is generally utilized for those already involved with gangs and with some type of criminal record; however, you feel that jordan has shown enough commitment to the gang lifestyle that intervention is the best option.

you recommend the prevention approach, specifically secondary prevention methods, since jordan has already shown some signs of delinquency. you feel that they are at a preliminary stage, but could very quickly become part of a gang in their neighborhood.

Explanation:

The problem involves choosing between prevention and intervention for Jordan, a 14-year-old not currently active in gangs but with potential involvement. Secondary prevention targets individuals showing early risk signs (like Jordan's preliminary involvement) to stop progression to full gang activity, which aligns with the scenario. Intervention is typically for those already deeply involved, which Jordan is not.

Answer:

You recommend the prevention approach, specifically secondary prevention methods, since Jordan has already shown some signs of delinquency. You feel that they are at a preliminary stage, but could very quickly become part of a gang in their neighborhood.