THE FAMILY–SCHOOL–MAHALLA PARTNERSHIP AS A MECHANISM FOR THE PEDAGOGICAL PREVENTION OF JUVENILE DELINQUENCY IN UZBEKISTAN
Keywords:
juvenile delinquency, pedagogical prevention, family–school–community partnership, mahalla, school bonding, social prevention.Abstract
The paper argues that the effectiveness of pedagogical prevention of juvenile delinquency depends less on the number of preventive measures than on the coordination between the three institutions in which an adolescent’s behaviour is formed: the family, the school and the mahalla. Drawing on social bond theory, the ecological model of development, research on school bonding and the randomised evaluation of the Communities That Care system, it analyses the current Uzbek prevention framework and identifies a structural gap: the school is not a permanent participant in the mahalla-level prevention team. A partnership mechanism comprising five components is proposed.
References
1. Anhor.uz. (2026). O‘zbekistonda yoshlar orasida jinoyatchilik kamayib, voyaga yetmaganlar o‘rtasida oshdi [Crime among youth in Uzbekistan falls while it rises among minors]. https://anhor.uz/uzl/news/yoshlar-orasida-jinoyatchilik-kamayib-voyaga-yetmaganlar/
2. Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979). The ecology of human development: Experiments by nature and design. Harvard University Press.
3. Catalano, R. F., Haggerty, K. P., Oesterle, S., Fleming, C. B., & Hawkins, J. D. (2004). The importance of bonding to school for healthy development: Findings from the Social Development Research Group. Journal of School Health, 74(7), 252–261.
4. Daryo.uz. (2025). [Report on the presidential resolution on increasing the effectiveness of early prevention of offences in mahallas]. https://daryo.uz/nyPAU8gX
5. Epstein, J. L. (1995). School/family/community partnerships: Caring for the children we share. Phi Delta Kappan, 76(9), 701–712.
6. Hawkins, J. D., Oesterle, S., Brown, E. C., Arthur, M. W., Abbott, R. D., Fagan, A. A., & Catalano, R. F. (2009). Results of a type 2 translational research trial to prevent adolescent drug use and delinquency: A test of Communities That Care. Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, 163(9), 789–798. https://doi.org/10.1001/archpediatrics.2009.141
7. Hirschi, T. (1969). Causes of delinquency. University of California Press.
8. Law of the Republic of Uzbekistan No. ZRU-263. (2010, September 29). On the prevention of neglect and offences among minors. https://lex.uz/docs/-1685726
9. Piquero, A. R., Jennings, W. G., Diamond, B., Farrington, D. P., Tremblay, R. E., Welsh, B. C., & Reingle Gonzalez, J. M. (2016). A meta-analysis update on the effects of early family/parent training programs on antisocial behavior and delinquency. Journal of Experimental Criminology, 12(2), 229–248. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11292-016-9256-0
10. Ta’lim xabarlari. (2026, January 25). 2025-yilda voyaga yetmaganlar 3 mingdan ortiq jinoyat sodir etgan [Minors committed more than 3,000 crimes in 2025]. https://talimxabarlari.uz/66201/
11. Ttofi, M. M., & Farrington, D. P. (2011). Effectiveness of school-based programs to reduce bullying: A systematic and meta-analytic review. Journal of Experimental Criminology, 7(1), 27–56.
12. United Nations. (1990). United Nations guidelines for the prevention of juvenile delinquency (The Riyadh Guidelines) (General Assembly resolution 45/112).
