Reality Tour: Adult Attendees’ Perceptions about a Community Based Drug Prevention Program

• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/jfcj.12121
• Date: 01 December 2018
• Author: James Tyler Garlick,Judith E. Sturges
• Published date: 01 December 2018

Reality Tour: Adult Attendees’ Perceptions about

a Community Based Drug Prevention Program

By Judith E. Sturges and James Tyler Garlick

ABSTRACT

In 2003, the Reality Tour was established by CANDLE, Inc., which is a non-

profit organization with an aim to prevent substance abuse in Butler, Pennsylvania.

Demand grew for the replication of the Tour to be presented in other locations. In

2014, the Latrobe and Derry Area Reality Tour was established. The Tour is a com-

munity-based drug prevention presentation designed to engage both parents and

children in an interactive event with the intention of educating them about the con-

sequences of drug use. Data for this study were collected from Adult Exit Surveys

between September, 2014 and May, 2016. A total of 226 surveys were reviewed.

Findings suggest that the Tour has provided important drug prevention information

to the attendees, and it has created a venue for parents and children to increase their

discussions about drug abuse. In addition, the Tour has assisted in community

awareness about the consequences of drug abuse.

Key words: Drug Abuse Prevention, Youths, Narcotics, Community.

INTRODUCTION

In 2003, CANDLE, Inc., a non-profit organization that seeks to prevent substance

abuse, established the Reality Tour. The Tour, which was first presented in Butler, Penn-

sylvania, is a community-based drug prevention program designed to influence both par-

ents and children. Information about drug abuse is delivered in an engaging manner that

informs attendees about current drug trends through first-person accounts from police

Judith E. Sturges,Ph.D., is an Associate Professor, Administration of Justice. Her research interests

include illicit narcotic drug use and community prevention and criminal justice theory. Dr. Sturges has

authored numerous publications about jail visitation, qualitative telephone interviewing, effects of criminal-

ity on mothers of offenders, restorative justice. She has been awarded the Scholarly Excellence Award and the

Distinguished Alumnus Award.

James Tyler Garlick, M.A., holds a BS in Administration of Justice from Penn State Fayette, The

Eberly Campus and a MA Criminology from the Indiana University of Pennsylvania. His research interests

include narcotic drug abuse, drug prevention, drug law enforcement, and modern policing. He has authored

multiple drug-related publications as a local columnist for the Herald Standard, Uniontown, PA.

Juvenile and Family Court Journal 69, No. 4

©2018 National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges

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