This white paper from the Council of Juvenile Correctional Administrators presents a set of standards for defining and measuring recidivism among juvenile offenders.
This paper from the Recidivism Work Group of the Council of Juvenile Correctional Administrators (CJCA) presents the results of the Group's efforts at developing standards for defining and measuring recidivism among juvenile offenders. The goals of recidivism measures are to reduce re-offending, to increase support for evidence-based programs (both proven and promising), and to support continuous quality improvement of programs and systems of services for juvenile offenders. As noted by the Work Group, each of these goals is dependent on how outcomes are defined and measured. This paper presents an overview of the problems stemming from a lack of standardized recidivism measures, as well as several reasons for measuring recidivism. This is followed by a discussion on how to define and measure recidivism and a list of issues relating to measurement that include 1) deciding on the appropriate measure; 2) selecting the best source of information; 3) time and recidivism; 4) counting all cases; 5) differentiating among offenses; and 6) data reporting options. A discussion of current definitions used by juvenile corrections agencies around the country is followed by a discussion on current practices used in evaluation research examining the impact of programs and services aimed at reducing re-offending. The final section of the paper discusses 15 standards developed by the CJCA Recidivism Work Group for measuring recidivism. References