The dissertation discusses the organization of preventive work with minors exhibiting deviant behavior in the USA. It is found that today the problem of deviant behavior and its prevention is extremely relevant, as the number of minors with behavioral deviations is increasing all over the world. In the USA significant achievements have been made in the research of deviant behavior and its prevention.
As for the causes of the formation of deviant behavior in American children, researchers attribute it to low socioeconomic family status, cultural (regional and ethnic) differences, family relationship styles, parental divorce, neglect of teenagers, the influence of television and computer games, and the negative impact of the street. These reasons, as scientists note, not only influence the formation of individual characteristics in adolescents but also contribute to deviations in their behavior. Furthermore, it is emphasized that age-specific features are also a precondition for the formation of deviant behavior.
The establishment of a preventive work system with minors in the USA was significantly influenced by the creation of juvenile justice, with the United States being considered its homeland. The goal of juvenile justice is to remove the juvenile offender from the scope of general criminal law and organize work with them based on the characteristics of their psychological and biological development.
In the prevention system of deviant behavior, a significant place is occupied by drug addiction prevention, as there is a well-established connection between deviant behavior and drug addiction.
Among the priority areas of work for social services working for the well-being of families, both broad and global in scope, as well as narrow, aimed at specific tasks, are included. These include: promoting family values and protecting the interests of all family members and all types of families; ensuring optimal living conditions for families; implementing special measures for the socio-economic support of disadvantaged families (those with dependents, disabled members, elderly individuals, large families, incomplete families, young parents); supporting families where members find it difficult to balance family and professional responsibilities; developing effective tax policies in the interest of families and providing assistance to families in organizing household management; creating a system of social support for families (legal, economic, psychological, informational, etc.); organizing the training of appropriate specialists; implementing family planning programs; providing social and medical protection of maternity and childhood before and after childbirth; promoting the full mental and physical development of children and preparing them for future family life; preventing domestic violence; providing assistance to families of drug addicts, alcoholics, criminals, and aggressive individuals; ensuring a positive information environment for families.
In modern higher education institutions in the United States, various teaching technologies, forms, and methods are used in the preparation of social and pedagogical specialists to work with delinquent juveniles. These include problem-based learning, person-centered approaches, personalized or tutor-guided learning, group-based learning, experiential learning, interactive technologies, information technologies, lectures in pairs, lecture-press conferences, discussions, seminars, training sessions, portfolio development, case studies, distance learning, counseling, and more. Theoretical and practical training is supplemented by research work, self-directed learning, and professional activities outside the classroom.
The scientific novelty of the research lies in the fact that, for the first time: the main concepts of deviance have been identified and analyzed based on the analysis of American scientific literature; the system of preventing deviant behavior among minors in the USA has been characterized; organizational and pedagogical principles of preventive work with minors prone to drug use have been revealed; the content, forms, and methods of working with families of minors with deviant behavior have been analyzed; the specifics of preparing professionals for working with minors with deviant behavior have been clarified; the relevance and potential for creative use of the US experience in the educational space of Ukraine have been proved.
The following concepts have been clarified: at-risk children, deviant behavior, delinquent behavior, socialized and u not socialized delinquents, juvenile justice, probation, family therapy, therapeutic community, family-centered approach, inclusion, intervention, facilitative approach, advocacy approach, contact families, self-help groups, supervisor, outreach work.
