Orange County Sheriff's Office G.R.E.A.T. Program

The Gang Resistance Education and Training (G.R.E.A.T.) program is a life-skills competency program designed to provide students with the skills they need to avoid gang pressure and youth violence. G.R.E.A.T.'s violence prevention curricula help students develop values and practice behaviors that will help them avoid destructive activities. G.R.E.A.T. program staff coordinate project activities with federal, regional, state, and local agencies, as well as individuals from community and civic groups. The goal of the program is to train criminal justice professionals to deliver a school-based curriculum that teaches life-skills competencies, gang awareness, and violence-avoidance techniques.

The Orange County Sheriff's Office will utilize fiscal year 2008 G.R.E.A.T. funding to provide the middle school, elementary, families, and summer components to approximately 12,858 students and 10 families identified as being high risk during the project period. Sport and recreational activities, as well as opportunities for community service will also be provided. Through a proactive, multi-faceted approach toward youth crime prevention, the certified G.R.E.A.T. officers aim to instill value-based decision making skills, while promoting positive interactions with law enforcement personnel. Eighteen Sherriff's Office deputies have been certified to teach the elementary curricula, while 21 deputies will teach the middle school curricula. All current G.R.E.A.T. deputies are also certified as either a lead or a co-facilitator to teach the families component. Performance, as well as the impact of each component, will be measured through monthly statistics compiled by G.R.E.A.T. unit supervisors.

CA/NCF