NCJ Number
184645
Journal
Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Volume: 39 Issue: 9 Dated: September 2000 Pages: 1127-1134
Editor(s)
Mina K. Dulcan M.D.
Date Published
September 2000
Length
8 pages
Annotation
This study assessed the effectiveness of Project Back-on-Track, an after-school diversion program that uses a multi-modal approach for the treatment of early-career juvenile offenders.
Abstract
Program completers (30 of 41 enrollees) ranged in age from 9 to 17 years and 63 percent were female. The young people participated in a 4-week cycle of treatment consisting of group and family therapy, parent groups, educational sessions, community service projects, and empathy building exercises. The young people attended the program 2 hours per day, 4 days per week, allowing for 32 hours of contact with the program per cycle. Parents attended the program for 15 hours per cycle. Most young people were referred to the program for violent offenses and met criteria for conduct disorder. Program completers were significantly less likely than matched controls to have committed subsequent criminal offenses at 12 months. In addition, they had significantly fewer subsequent criminal charges at 9 and 12 month follow-up intervals than the control group. By decreasing the frequency of criminal recidivism, it was estimated Project Back-on-Track resulted in savings to society of about $1,800 per youth enrolled after 1 year. Study limitations and clinical implications of the findings are discussed. 32 references and 2 tables