NCJ Number
27465
Date Published
1974
Length
46 pages
Annotation
THE PROGRAM EFFECTIVENESS AND IMPACT ARE ASSESSED FOR THIS UNIT OF FAMILY COURT WHICH DIVERTS NON-SERIOUS, NON-CRIMINAL OR NON-CHRONIC JUVENILE CASES FROM FORMAL HEARINGS AND PROVIDES REFERRALS FOR YOUTH AND PARENTS.
Abstract
THERE ARE THREE MAIN TYPES OF CASES HANDLED BY THE COUNSELING AND REFERRAL SERVICES (CRS): RELATED, WHERE THE PROBLEM IS PARENT-CHILD CONFLICT; NON-RELATED, WHICH USUALLY INVOLVES MINOR COMPLAINTS BY NEIGHBORS OR OTHER ADULTS; AND TRUANCY. THE SERVICES PROVIDED BY CRS ARE EITHER COUNSELING OR REFERRAL TO ANOTHER AGENCY (FOR RELATED AND TRUANCY CASES), MEDIATION FOR NON-RELATED CASES AND MONITORING FOR TRUANCY CASES. CRS HANDLED 2,574 CASES DURING THE EVALUATION YEAR. OF THESE, A SAMPLE OF 130 CASES FOR EACH TYPE OF CASE WAS DRAWN. SOME CASES FROM EACH GROUP WERE DROPPED DUE TO INCOMPLETE OR LOST FILES. A COMPARISON GROUP WAS SELECTED FROM COMPARABLE RELEASED CASES AT THE YOUTH STUDY CENTER BY RANDOMLY SELECTING 75 MALES AND 75 FEMALES. AGAIN, SOME CASES WERE DISQUALIFIED DUE TO INCOMPLETE RECORDS. A PROFILE OF THE CRS CLIENTS IS PROVIDED. IN GENERAL, THEY WERE MALES, BLACK, OF LOWER SOCIO-ECONOMIC STATUS, AND RESIDING IN BROKEN HOMES. MEASURES OF PROGRAM EFFECTIVENESS USED WERE THE PERCENTAGE OF REFERRED CLIENTS THAT CONTACTED THE RECOMMENDED AGENCY, THE ARREST LIKELIHOOD AFTER CRS, AND CHANGES IN THE TYPES OF PETITIONS RECEIVED IN JUVENILE COURT. IT WAS FOUND THAT ABOUT TWO-THIRDS OF ALL CLIENTS MADE CONTACT WITH THE REFERRED AGENCY. A FOLLOW UP OF THE SAMPLE CRS GROUP AND COMPARISON GROUP SHOWED COMPARABLE RECIDIVISM RATES - 17 PERCENT AND 12 PERCENT RESPECTIVELY. SOME REDUCTION IN CRS TYPE CASES BROUGHT TO THE JUVENILE COURT WAS ALSO FOUND. IT IS CONCLUDED THAT THE PROGRAM WAS FAIRLY EFFECTIVE. AN ANALYSIS OF JUVENILE COURT CASES TO DETERMINE IF MORE CASES CAN BE HANDLED BY CRS IS RECOMMENDED.