IMPACT STUDY OF TWO DIVERSION PROJECTS

• NCJ Number: 68810
• Author(s): D S ELLIOTT; F BLANCHARD
• Date Published: 1975
• Length: 18 pages
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of Health, Education, and Welfare
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/
• Publication Type: Program/Project Evaluation
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: PAPER PRESENTED AT THE AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION CONVENTION, CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, 1975

Annotation

TWO DIVERSION PROGRAMS FOR JUVENILES WERE EVALUATED FOR THEIR IMPACT ON THE PARTICIPANTS' ACCESS TO DESIRABLE SOCIAL ROLES, ON NEGATIVE LABELING, ALIENATION, AND DELINQUENT BEHAVIOR.

Abstract

THE FIRST PROJECT SERVED A CITY OF 70,000; AND DURING THE EVALUATION YEAR (FISCAL 1973), POLICE AND PROBATION OFFICERS MADE 25 PERCENT OF THE REFERRALS WHILE PARENTS, SCHOOL COUNSELORS, AND WELFARE CASEWORKERS MADE THE REST. THE YOUTHS SERVED WERE PREDOMINANTLY ANGLO WITH A MEDIAN AGE OF 15. THE SECOND PROJECT SERVED AN ECONOMICALLY DEPRIVED AREA OF 70 SQUARE BLOCKS IN A LARGE CITY. THE PROBATION DEPARTMENT MADE ABOUT 35 PERCENT OF THE REFERRALS, AND OVER 80 PERCENT OF THE YOUTHS WERE BLACK. FURTHERMORE, NUMEROUS GANGS WERE ACTIVE DURING THE EVALUATION PERIOD. BOTH PROJECTS AIMED (1) TO INCREASE PERCEIVED ACCESS TO DESIRABLE SOCIAL ROLES, (2) TO REDUCE THE STIGMA ASSOCIATED WITH TRADITIONAL PROCESSING WITHIN THE JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEM, (3) TO REDUCE FEELINGS OF ALIENATION AND REJECTION, AND (4) TO REDUCE INVOLVEMENT IN DELINQUENT BEHAVIOR. ALSO, BOTH PROJECTS INVOLVED A CASEWORK APPROACH AND PROVIDED INTENSIVE COUNSELING SERVICES FOR THE YOUTHS AND THEIR FAMILIES AND ARRANGED FOR ANY ADDITIONAL SOCIAL SERVICES THAT WERE NEEDED. THE FIRST 50 JUVENILES ENTERING EACH OF THE PROJECTS AFTER A SPECIFIC DATE CONSTITUTED THE DIVERSION SAMPLES. IN EACH CITY, A COMPARISON GROUP WAS OBTAINED FROM YOUTHS PLACED ON PROBATION DURING THE SAME PERIOD, AND AN ATTEMPT WAS MADE TO MATCH THE CHARACTERISTICS OF MEMBERS OF THE CORRESPONDING COMPARISON AND DIVERSION GROUPS. DATA WAS GATHERED THROUGH A STRUCTURED INTERVIEW SCHEDULE ALLOWING FOR SCALED RESPONSES TO QUESTIONS RELATING TO THE FOUR AIMS OF THE PROJECTS. THE INTERVIEWS TOOK PLACE WHEN THE DIVERSION YOUTHS ENTER THE PROJECTS AND AGAIN FOUR AND TWELVE MONTHS LATER. THE RESULTS SHOW THAT THE DIVERSION PROJECTS WERE NOT MUCH MORE SUCCESSFUL THAN THE PROBATION PROGRAMS IN MEETING THE FOUR GOALS. THE DIVERSION PROJECTS, HOWEVER, DID GENERATE LESS PERCEIVED NEGATIVE LABELING FROM FRIENDS, AND THIS EFFECT WAS ASSOCIATED WITH A DECLINING INVOLVEMENT IN DELINQUENT BEHAVIOR. REFERENCES, FOOTNOTES, AND A TABLE ARE INCLUDED.