NCJ Number
187381
Journal
Journal of Offender Rehabilitation Volume: 32 Issue: 1/2 Dated: 2000 Pages: 57-73
Editor(s)
Nathaniel J. Pallone Ph.D.
Date Published
2000
Length
17 pages
Annotation
The juvenile diversion program examined in this study consisted of 32 Colorado programs that provided interventions to juvenile offenders, and the study was conducted to explore types of interventions assigned to juveniles in diversion programs, characteristics and legal background of juveniles in each intervention, and program outcomes.
Abstract
Data were obtained on a sample of 5,865 juvenile offenders, the entire population of juveniles admitted to diversion programs in Colorado during fiscal year 1995-1996. Of the total sample, 78 percent were male and 22 percent were female; 58 percent were white, 30 percent were Hispanic, and 9 percent were black. Each juvenile in the sample was involved in diversion due to some type of contact with the police. Types of interventions were diagnostic intake, individual mental health counseling, supervision/case management, education, employment/vocational, life skills, substance abuse, family mental health counseling, group mental health counseling, recreation, and victim-offender mediation. Univariate and multivariate analysis showed unique patterns of intervention assignment. Client characteristics, especially arrest history, were more relevant to program outcome than the presence or the absence of an intervention. Juveniles referred to diversion from the Colorado Department of Youth Corrections were the most likely to receive some type of intervention, particularly the employment/vocational intervention. At the other end of the spectrum, juveniles referred to diversion by police and sheriff agencies received the fewest interventions and were especially lacking in therapeutic interventions (interventions other than diagnostic intake and supervision case management). In terms of legal and demographic characteristics of juveniles by interventions, juveniles in most interventions were white males who had more prior arrests in all categories, as opposed to juveniles not in the interventions. With regard to program outcome, the intervention with the largest percentage of juveniles successfully terminating was recreation, followed by victim-offender mediation. Overall, 70 percent of juveniles successfully terminated from programs. 17 references and 8 tables