Evaluation of the Juvenile Alternative Services Project

• NCJ Number: 80633
• Author(s): A Cannon; R M Stanford
• Date Published: 1981
• Length: 80 pages
• Corporate Author: Florida Dept of Health and Rehabilitative Services
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/
• Publication Type: Program/Project Evaluation
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

Findings and recommendations are presented from an evaluation of Florida's Juvenile Alternative Services Project (JASP), which is intended to divert juvenile offenders from judicial processing and limit system penetration.

Abstract

The pilot project, which was implemented in three districts -- District III (Gainesville), District V (St. Petersburg), and District VI (Tampa) -- anticipated that swiftly imposed community sanctions would produce fewer subsequent law violations than judicial processing. This evaluation describes the JASP operations, determines the extent to which objectives have been accomplished, and assesses the project impact on diversion and recidivism. JASP receives about 350 referrals per month, with the typical referral being a white, 15-year-old male with no prior criminal history, who has committed a misdemeanor property offense. The average length of participation is 60 days. Work restitution and community work service are the JASP components most used. The quality of JASP services and sanctions, as perceived by intake counselors and court personnel, is good. Research findings indicate that about half of the JASP participants would have been judicially processed had the program not been available. The other half would have most likely been disposed of at intake. District V has shown the highest level of true diversion (63 percent), while District III has displayed significant 'net widening' (75 percent). A 9-month followup of JASP participants and similar nonparticipants showed nonparticipants had a 25 percent higher rearrest rate. Nineteen percent of the JASP clients sampled were rearrested, compared to 24 percent of the comparison group. The cost of serving youths in JASP is less than costs of previous alternative dispositions in Districts V and VI but more in District III. Recommendations bear upon the reduction of 'net widening,' followup procedures, and statements of policy and procedure. Tabular data and evaluation instruments are appended. (Author summary modified)