DEINSTITUTIONALIZATION AND DIVERSION OF JUVENILE OFFENDERS - A LITANY OF IMPEDIMENTS (FROM CRIME AND JUSTICE - AN ANNUAL REVIEW OF RESEARCH, V 1, 1979, BY NORVAL MORRIS AND MICHAEL TONRY - SEE NCJ-63668)

• NCJ Number: 63673
• Author(s): M W KLEIN
• Date Published: 1979
• Length: 57 pages
• Corporate Author: University of Chicago Press
• Publication Format: Document
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

THIS ESSAY STATES THAT DEINSTITUTIONALIZATION AND DIVERSION OF JUVENILE OFFENDERS-- TWO MAJOR REFORM MOVEMENTS IN JUVENILE JUSTICE--HAVE SELDOM, IN FACT, BEEN IMPLEMENTED.

Abstract

THIS FAILURE OF IMPLEMENTATION HAS OCCURRED ALTHOUGH BOTH PROGRAMS HAVE BROADLY-BASED SUPPORT. TO EVALUATE THEIR EFFECTIVENESS, THEREFORE, IT MUST BE DETERMINED IF DEINSTITUTIONALIZATION AND DIVERSION TRULY EMBODY THE IDEAS WHICH UNDERLIE THEM. A PARADIGM--PROGRAM INTEGRITY--IS PRESENTED FOR REVIEWING THE DEGREE TO WHICH THE REFORMS ARE EFFECTIVE, AND IS APPLIED TO RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN DIVERSION AND DEINSTITUTIONALIZATION PROGRAMS AS DESCRIBED IN OVER 200 PUBLISHED REPORTS, ARTICLES, CHAPTERS AND BOOKS. THE STUDY INDICATED FIVE SPECIFIC IMPEDIMENTS TO PROPER IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PROGRAMS IN ADDITION TO DEFINITIONAL AMBIGUITY AND BACKLASH FROM SEVERAL UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES: INADEQUATE RATIONALES; INAPPROPRIATE CLIENT TARGETING; INADEQUATE OR INAPPROPRIATE SERVICE DELIVERY; PROFESSIONAL STAFF RESISTANCE; AND INAPPROPRIATE PROGRAM LOCATION. BOTH DEINSTITUTIONALIZATION AND DIVERSION OF JUVENILE OFFENDERS THEREFORE, MUST BE MEANINGFULLY EVALUATED AND PROGRAMS SHOULD HAVE WELL-DEVELOPED CONCEPTUAL RATIONALES AND SHOULD PERMIT ADEQUATE ASSESSMENT OF PROGRAM EFFECTIVENESS. AN APPENDIX ON PROGRAM IMPACT AND A LIST OF REFERENCES ARE APPENDED. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED--MJW)