NCJ Number
167096
Date Published
1997
Length
19 pages
Annotation
This paper presents the methodology and findings of an evaluation of Kentucky's statewide Court Designated Worker (CDW) Program, which involves law-related education (LRE).
Abstract
CDW staff coordinate an intake process in which uniform criteria, derived from American Bar Association standards are used to divert select cases from formal court proceedings. As implemented across Kentucky, LRE teaches juveniles about the law, legal processes, and principles that underlie responsible citizenship in the U.S. system of government. The program that is the object of the research reported in this paper consisted of weekly LRE lessons that occurred between late 1992 and early 1993 at five separate sites in Kentucky. There were seven groups of LRE participants, three sites with one group each, and two sites with two groups each. Each group received 12 lessons. The groups consisted of juveniles without extensive prior legal records who had been taken into custody for delinquent offenses. A quasi- experimental, pretest to posttest, between-groups design was used in this research. Pretest data on social-perception and self- perceptions were obtained from all offenders (n=57) diverted into LRE during the time frame of the study; however, posttest data were obtained from only 33 of these persons. The control group was drawn from the same schools being attended by LRE subjects at three of the State sites. Findings show that although LRE participants were significantly less positive than control subjects in their pretest perceptions of self, parents, neighbors, and police officers, no significant differences were found when comparing the posttest data of the LRE group with the control group data. The posttest perceptions of the LRE group were much closer to the perceptions displayed by the control group than were the pretest perceptions of the LRE group. Significant pretest to posttest improvements in perceptions of police officers were associated with exposure to LRE. LRE subjects displayed pretest to posttest improvements in their perceptions of self and other groups, especially teachers and parents. The recidivism rate, defined as new police contacts, was low (10.53 percent) among LRE participants over a 1-year follow- up period. The limitations of the study are explained, but the authors conclude that LRE may be a viable means of expanding the range of diversion options in juvenile justice. Any case-effect assertions about the program, however, must await the use of randomized, true experimental designs to evaluate LRE programming. 3 tables, 57 references, and an appended semantic differential instrument