SHOCAP

The Serious Habitual Offenders Comprehensive Action Plan (SHOCAP) program was introduced when research indicated that a small portion of offenders commit most of the serious and violent juvenile crimes. SHOCAP seeks to improve public safety by focusing attention on serious habitual offenders through active interagency collaboration.

SHOCAP coordinates involvement from those who work in law enforcement, prosecution, education, probation, corrections, and other social services to share information and manage juvenile justice cases.

SHOCAP has three objectives:

1. To provide a structured, coordinated, juvenile justice focus on crimes committed by habitual juvenile offenders.

2. To promote public safety by identifying, tracking, arresting, and prosecuting the most violent habitual juvenile offenders.

3. To establish specific juvenile justice policies that enhances the effectiveness of procedures regarding habitual juvenile offenders.

SHOCAP identifies a community's most dangerous and violent juvenile offenders and focuses community resources on immediate intervention or detention when they re-offend. The program prevents youth from falling through the cracks by ensuring that their case information is available immediately for juvenile justice decision-makers.