COMMUNITY PREVENTION AND TREATMENT OF JUVENILE DELINQUENCY - A REVIEW OF EVALUATION STUDIES

• NCJ Number: 40056
• Journal: Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency Volume: 14 Issue: 1 Dated: (JANUARY 1977) Pages: 35-67
• Author(s): W E WRIGHT; M C DIXON
• Date Published: 1977
• Length: 33 pages
• Corporate Author: National Council on Crime and Delinquency
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Best Practice/State-of-the-Art Review
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

A REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE ON THE EFFECTIVENESS OF JUVENILE DELINQUENCY PREVENTION PROGRAMS AND THE METHODS USED TO EVALUATE PREVENTION PROGRAMS.

Abstract

A SURVEY WAS MADE OF THE LITERATURE ON JUVENILE DELINQUENCY PREVENTION EFFORTS OVER THE PAST TEN YEARS. FROM APPROXIMATELY 6,600 ABSTRACTS, ONLY 96 REPORTS WERE FOUND WHICH CONTAINED SOME FORM OF EMPIRICAL DATA OF PROJECT EFFECTS. EACH REPORT WAS RATED FOR INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL VALIDITY AND FOR POLICY UTILITY. OVERALL, THE LITERATURE WAS LOW IN BOTH SCIENTIFIC VALIDITY AND POLICY UTILITY. THE FINDINGS ARE DISCUSSED IN RELATION TO THREE GENERAL CATEGORIES OF PROBLEMS - POLITICAL, METHODOLOGICAL, AND THEORETICAL. THE AUTHORS CONCLUDE THAT POLITICAL PRESSURE MAY FORCE OUTCOME EVALUATION WHEN PROCESS EVALUATION WOULD BE MORE APPROPRIATE. THEY ALSO FOUND THAT METHODOLOGICAL PROBLEMS ARISE FROM UNCLEAR AND VARYING DEFINITIONS OF PREVENTION, DELINQUENCY, AND TREATMENT, AND THAT SIMPLISTIC AND NONEXISTENT THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES LEAD TO UNREALISTIC EXPECTATIONS FOR SUCCESS. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED)..DMC