CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF THE YOUTH AUTHORITY - THE EVALUATION OF JUVENILE DIVERSION PROJECTS - EXECUTIVE SUMMARY OF THE FINAL REPORT

• NCJ Number: 57118
• Author(s): T PALMER; M BOHNSTEDT; R LEWIS
• Date Published: 1978
• Length: 7 pages
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of Justice; California Office of Criminal Justice Planning
• Corporate Author: California Dept of the Youth Authority
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Program/Project Evaluation
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: *This document is currently unavailable from NCJRS.

Annotation

BASED ON THE SECOND PHASE OF A 3-YEAR STUDY OF PROGRAMS IN CALIFORNIA, RECOMMENDATIONS ARE MADE FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF YOUTH DIVERSION PROGRAMS.

Abstract

THE STUDY FOCUSED ON THREE QUESTIONS: (1) HOW MANY YOUTHS WERE DIVERTED FROM THE TRADITIONAL JUSTICE SYSTEM? (2) WAS RECIDIVISM REDUCED BY DIVERSION? (3) HOW MUCH DID DIVERSION COST? OF ALL CLIENTS SERVED BY A PROGRAM, 51 PERCENT WERE DIVERTED FROM FURTHER PROCESSING BY THE JUSTICE SYSTEM. RECORDS OF 1,345 CLIENTS IN DIVERSION PROGRAMS WERE COMPARED TO THOSE FOR 1,192 NON-CLIENT INDIVIDUALS WHO HAD BEEN REFERRED BY POLICE OR PROBATION. RESULTS SHOWED THAT RECIDIVISM WAS NOT REDUCED AMONG CLIENTS WITH NO PRIOR ARRESTS OR AMONG THOSE WITH TWO OR MORE ARRESTS. HOWEVER, CLIENTS WITH ONE PRIOR ARREST DID SIGNIFICANTLY BETTER THAN THE COMPARISON CASES. THE AVERAGE YEARLY EXPENDITURE FOR A DIVERSION PROJECT WAS $101,957 WITH AN AVERAGE COST OF $250 PER CLIENT. THIS IS COMPARED TO THE AVERAGE COST OF A LAW ENFORCEMENT ARREST OF $511 WITH A PROBATION PROCESSING COST OF $477 PER INDIVIDUAL. THE MOST PREVALENT ELEMENT OF ALL PROGRAMS WAS FAMILY COUNSELING TO WHICH 72 PERCENT OF YOUTHS WERE EXPOSED. A TOTAL OF 51 PERCENT RECEIVED INDIVIDUAL COUNSELING. IN A 6-MONTH FOLLOWUP STUDY IT WAS DETERMINED THAT YOUTHS EXPOSED TO INDIVIDUAL COUNSELING PERFORMED BETTER THAN THOSE WHO WERE NOT. FINAL RECOMMENDATIONS WERE THAT (1) IF NO VIOLENT CRIME HAD BEEN COMMITTED INTERVENTION SHOULD TAKE PLACE AFTER THE SECOND OFFENSE; (2) THE GOALS OF DIVERSION SHOULD BE TO AVOID LABELLING YOUTHS, REDUCE UNNECESSARY SOCIAL CONTROL, REDUCE RECIDIVISM, AND CUT JUSTICE SYSTEM COSTS; (3) NON-JUSTICE SYSTEM REFERRALS COULD BE BEST SERVED BY NON-JUSTICE SYSTEM PROGRAMS ON A VOLUNTARY BASIS; (4) JUSTICE DEPARTMENT REFERRALS WITH NO PRIOR ARRESTS SHOULD BE REFERRED TO NON-JUSTICE SYSTEM PROGRAMS ON A VOLUNTARY BASIS; (5) INDIVIDUALS WITH ONE PRIOR ARREST COULD BE SERVED EQUALLY WELL BY A JUSTICE SYSTEM OR NON-JUSTICE SYSTEM AGENCY; AND (6) AMONG JUSTICE SYSTEM REFERRALS WITH TWO OR MORE PRIOR ARRESTS, SERVICES SHOULD BE PROVIDED BY THE JUSTICE ON A NONVOLUNTARY BASIS. FOR THE FULL REPORT SEE NCJ-57117. (STB)