NCJ Number
148373
Date Published
1978
Length
131 pages
Annotation
This report presents the methodology and findings of the organizational evaluation of the LEAA-funded programs for the deinstitutionalization of status offenders (DSO) in seven localities: Clark County, Washington; Spokane, Washington; Alameda County, California; Pima County, Ariz.; Illinois; Delaware; and South Carolina.
Abstract
This report addresses only the characteristics of practitioners, the organizational settings in which they performed their duties, and their relationships to the surrounding community. Section I of the report is largely descriptive, as it compares the programs on various characteristics. The programs are compared on demographic and occupational composition, treatment philosophies and strategies, decisionmaking arrangements, internal networks of interaction and communication, and elements of work strain. Section II then focuses on the documentation and explanation of three sets of performance variables. One performance variable is interorganizational contacts by DSO participants with other agencies and institutions in the community. A second variable is community activism, based on participants' reports of the amount of effort they have given to increasing the level of community support and improving the community resource base for programs that deal with the problems of youth. The third set of performance variables pertains to participants' subjective estimates of the effectiveness of their own efforts and of the program as a whole. Overall, this organizational assessment is favorable, and there is no indication the DSO mandates were not taken seriously. The evaluation shows that interagency strategies are compatible with greater community involvement. Whether this results in the delivery of higher quality services to clients must be determined in an evaluation that focuses on client outcomes. Appended questionnaire