Northeast > Resources > Prevention Materials > Prevention Strategies > Enforcement

Enforcement

The dictionary defines enforcement as "compelling observance of or obedience to" a regulation. This idea is implicit in the concept of enforcement as a universal prevention strategy. But the strategy encompasses a wider meaning; enforcement does not merely target the individual caught breaking the law, it targets the wider population that might consider breaking the law — a real-life example of enforcement in action.

Specific resources contained on this site include the following:

Enforcement: A Strategy for Prevention Practitioners.
A 23-page paper on enforcement: What it means as a prevention strategy and how you can incorporate it into your work as a prevention practitioner. This document addresses:
• the benefits of enforcement as a prevention strategy
• enforcement strategies aimed at retailers, such as the use of compliance checks and server training
• enforcement strategies aimed at youth, such as zero tolerance and “use and lose” laws
• community enforcement strategies, such as community advocacy

Enforcement Factsheet and Illustration (Webpage, Acrobat 3 pages)
This document shows ways in which enforcement is used in substance abuse prevention, plus an illustrated example of enforcement in action.

Enforcement Video. Created by CSAP’s Northeast CAPT, this video focuses on how the Cambridge Licensee Advisory Board used sting operations to enforce existing regulations and prevent underage drinking in Cambridge, MA.

This video is accessible using windows media player 9 series for Windows 98 2nd ed., Me, and 2000. Click here to download it. Click here to read transcript.

Enforcement Resources. This document contains a list of resources—both online and in print—designed to help you implement enforcement strategies in your community.