Intensive Supervision Programs for High-Risk Juveniles: Critical Issues of Program Evaluation (From Intensive Interventions With High-Risk Youths, P 295-315, 1991, Troy L Armstrong, ed. -- See NCJ-129819)

• NCJ Number: 129829
• Author(s): C Baird
• Date Published: 1991
• Length: 21 pages
• Sale Source: Criminal Justice Press/Willow Tree Press
• Publication Type: Research (Theoretical)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: *This document is currently unavailable from NCJRS.

Annotation

This paper identifies issues critical to the successful evaluation of intensive supervision programs (ISP's) for high-risk juveniles.

Abstract

The paper does not discuss the strengths and weaknesses of various analytical methods nor critique prior evaluations; rather, it constructs a pragmatic guide for establishing a credible evaluation design. Since evaluation design and program operations must be integrated, the discussion focuses on operational issues as well as the evaluation process. The discussion is restricted to three areas of major importance to ISP's: participant selection procedures, process evaluation, and outcome measures. Participant selection issues include what cases should be targeted for intensive supervision, how the integrity of selection processes can be maintained, and what selection procedures are needed to support evaluation requirements. A process evaluation describes the program's content, assesses the quality of the intervention, and defines the characteristics and quantity of the program's immediate products. Outcome measures pertain to the rate and severity of recidivism and the length of the followup period. 4 tables, 4 figures, and 24 references