Communities that care : building community engagement and capacity to prevent youth behavior problems /

Fagan et al. describe and lay out a plan for the development of CTC (Communities That Care) programs. The CTC approach rests on three assumptions. First, while the general public in the US holds punitive attitudes toward youth who do not conform to contemporary community standards, there is almost universal support for the use of rehabilitation or correction programs for these youth in the same communities. Second, a successful intervention should be broadly based in the community it serves. Third, programs need to be evidence-based using diagnostic procedures and community resource and needs assessments. The authors support their positions with summaries of relevant research. The book is well written and within the reach of the average reader. It is well referenced and adequately indexed. The authors make effective use of tables, charts, and illustrations. Communities That Care is recommended for the general holdings of all libraries and will be particularly useful to citizen activists, community developers, practitioners, and researchers focused on the treatment of troubled youth. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty. --Robert T. Sigler, emeritus, University of Alabama