NCJ Number
166078
Date Published
1995
Length
80 pages
Annotation
This summary report presents the principal results and implications of two linked research projects on "intermediate treatment" (I.T.) for juvenile offenders in England, with a focus on "heavy end" I.T.
Abstract
"Intermediate treatment" is a generic term that has been used in England to refer to a range of programs and activities for juvenile offenders and other youth deemed to be at risk of delinquency. A core element in the concept of I.T. has always been the provision of programmed activities for identified young offenders on supervision orders (juvenile equivalent of a probation order). Courts have formal powers to add an I.T. requirement to the basic supervision order for up to 90 days of activities. Since 1980 juvenile justice workers in most jurisdictions have aimed I.T. programs at serious or chronic juvenile offenders at risk of a custodial sentence. The term "heavy end" I.T. has been applied to this practice. The main study summarized in this report was an evaluation study that focused on both outcomes and process for I.T. For the purposes of the study, I.T. groups were divided into "heavy end" I.T. (compulsory I.T. programs) and "other" I.T. (attending I.T. program voluntarily). The control group for the "heavy end" I.T. consisted of young offenders sentenced to custodial sentences, and the control group for the "other" I.T. group consisted of youth with regular supervision orders. Findings show that the I.T. projects studied in this research were not strikingly effective in reducing reoffending compared to other treatments. A second study focused on the issues of costs and cost- effectiveness and used data collected for the main study as well as specially collected additional data. The findings from this study show that the straight supervision order is more cost effective than "heavy end" I.T., "other" I.T., or custody. Implications of the findings from the two studies are discussed. 6 tables, 5 figures, and 37 references