NCJ Number
196362
Date Published
June 2002
Length
32 pages
Annotation
This document is a report on the Multisystemic Therapy program for serious youthful offenders in Canada.
Abstract
The author conducted a study concerning the adult incarceration and arrests reduction outcomes of Multisystemic Therapy (MST) treatment for juvenile offenders. MST is defined as home-based intervention for serious, habitual juvenile offenders that utilizes a family preservation intervention model. The nine principles of MST are provided. The author references prior American research on the use of MST which showed significant positive impacts from the use of MST with juvenile offenders and hoped to find similar results in a study of subjects referred to a MST program through Ontario’s Ministry of Community and Social Services. Study data were gathered from 409 youthful offenders selected from 4 randomly selected Ontario communities. Subjects were evenly divided between MST recipients and offenders referred to more traditional intervention programs. The study was designed to determine whether MST would create lower levels of criminal conviction than already existing social programs. The study’s initial results indicate that there was no treatment effect between the two groups and the significant results of MST use were not found. An additional follow up study is set to end in 2004, however, no changes to the central findings are expected. 12 figures, 7 tables, 51 notes, 4 references