More than 2050 criminal children and young people in North Rhine-Westphalia got the chance to get the curve. “Get a curve” is the name of the program launched eleven years ago to prevent delinquent minors from slipping completely into crime. In the meantime, “getting a curve” has been expanded and, according to the NRW Ministry of the Interior, is currently being used in 38 of the 47 district police authorities in the state.
Three more locations are to be added this year. According to studies, the success rate of the program is 46 percent – that is, almost every second program participant does not relapse. But the other participants also relapsed significantly less often on average. The makers are currently taking care of 572 young delinquents.
The average age at admission to the program is 12.8 years. The initiative was repeatedly subjected to a success check and a cost-benefit analysis, reported the NRW Ministry of the Interior when asked by the dpa. All studies have confirmed success and effectiveness.
“The results show that our “Get a curve” program works. It prevents crime and thus victims. Thanks to a scientific cost-benefit analysis, we know that “getting a curve” also pays off economically – according to this, society gets up to ten euros back for every euro spent,” says NRW Interior Minister Herbert Reul (CDU).
In 2017, “Get a curve” was included in the nationwide “Green List Prevention” as an effective example of best practice. It was introduced during the tenure of Reul’s predecessor, Ralf Jäger (SPD).
The program is aimed at children and young people aged 8 to 15 who have committed at least one violent crime or three property crimes and who are at risk of becoming a frequent offender. Pedagogical specialists and detectives approach the young people and their parents together.
First, it is determined what the causes of the child’s criminal behavior are and what the current situation is. Then we discuss which measures make the most sense in a specific case – this can range from anti-aggression training to sports activities and addiction counseling.