DIVERSION OF JUVENILE DELINQUENCY - AN EXAMINATION OF THE PROCESSES AND RELATIVE EFFICACY OF CHILD ADVOCACY AND BEHAVIORAL CONTRACTING

• NCJ Number: 51532
• Author(s): W S 2D DAVIDSON
• Date Published: 1976
• Length: 603 pages
• Sale Source: UMI Dissertation Services
• Publication Type: Thesis/Dissertation
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN - DOCTORAL DISSERTATION

Annotation

THE EFFICACY OF A DIVERSION PROGRAM STAFFED BY STUDENT VOLUNTEERS IS ASSESSED, AND TWO INTERVENTION TECHNIQUES ARE COMPARED.

Abstract

THE PROGRAM TRAINED UNDERGRADUATE COLLEGE STUDENTS TO PROVIDE SERVICES TO YOUNG OFFENDERS REFERRED BY THE POLICE DEPARTMENTS OF CHAMPAIGN AND URBANA, ILL. THE STUDY FOCUSES ON THE PERFORMANCE OF VOLUNTEERS, CLIENTS, AND OTHER PARTICIPANTS IN THE SERVICE DELIVERY NETWORK (PARENTS, SUPERVISORS OF VOLUNTEERS, ETC.), IDENTIFIES CRITICAL POINTS IN THE SERVICE DELIVERY PROCESS, AND EXPLORES RELATIONSHIPS AMONG THE CRITICAL POINTS. A PRETEST/POSTTEST DESIGN IS USED TO COMPARE TWO TREATMENT GROUPS--ADVOCACY AND BEHAVIOR CONTRACTING--WITH EACH OTHER AND WITH A CONTROL GROUP. ADVOCACY INVOLVES ENCOURAGING OTHER RESOURCES IN THE COMMUNITY TO HELP CLIENTS. BEHAVIOR CONTRACTING RESULTS IN A NEGOTIATED CONTRACT BETWEEN COUNSELOR AND CLIENT IN WHICH THE CLIENT AGREES TO MAKE CERTAIN ADJUSTMENTS. THE DIVERSION PROGRAM WAS EFFECTIVE IN REDUCING THE INCIDENCE OF FURTHER JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEM CONTRACTS AMONG CLIENTS AND IN CONTRIBUTING TO RELATIVELY STABLE SCHOOL ATTENDANCE. AN INTRICATE SET OF RELATIONSHIPS AMONG THE EVENTS IN THE LIVES OF CLIENTS, THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE INTERVENTION, THE INITIAL TRAINING AND SUPERVISION OF THE STUDENT VOLUNTEERS, AND OUTCOMES WAS DISCOVERED. BOTH ADVOCACY AND CONTRACTING DID ADHERE TO THEIR RESPECTIVE CONCEPTUAL MODELS, BUT THE MODELS DO NOT COMPLETELY PRESCRIBE THE TOTAL INTERVENTION ROLE PLAYED BY THE VOLUNTEERS. ACTUAL INTERVENTION APPEARS TO BE HIGHLY DEPENDENT ON THE EVENTS IN THE LIFE OF THE CLIENT AND ON THE EASE WITH WHICH INTERVENTION CAN BE EXECUTED. FOR EXAMPLE, IF THE CLIENT IS INVOLVED IN FURTHER TROUBLE DURING THE INITIAL PERIOD OF INTERVENTION, THE INTERACTION BETWEEN THE VOLUNTEER AND THE YOUTH TENDS TO FOCUS ON RESPONDING TO THE JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEM RATHER THAN EXPLORING OTHER ASPECTS OF THE YOUTH'S LIFE. THIS PATTERN OF EVENTS IS ASSOCIATED WITH INTERVENTION FAILURE. THE STUDY FINDINGS CONCERNING THE COMPLEXITY OF INTERACTIONS WITHIN THE DIVERSION PROGRAM POINT UP THE NEED FOR SYSTEMATIC MONITORING OF INTERVENTION PROCESSES OVER TIME. A LIST OF REFERENCES, SUPPORTING DATA AND DOCUMENTATION, AND STUDY INSTRUMENTS ARE INCLUDED. (LKM)