Book excerpt: Afterschool programs provide safe places for youth after school in addition to improving academic achievement and helping working families. Afterschool programs provide youth a safe, supervised environment that reduces their risk of committing or becoming a victim of violent crime. A recent report from Fight Crime: Invest in Kids has found that violent juvenile crime is most likely to occur between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m., and that youth are more likely to smoke, drink or do drugs during these hours. Moreover, the U.S. Justice Department has found that murder rates among 14-17-year-olds has increased 165% from 1985 to 1995. Afterschool programs promote safety by preventing youth violence, providing safe places afterschool and educating youth about the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse. This issue brief highlights some afterschool programs that have been successful in providing a safe environment for students. (Contains 12 endnotes.).