NCJ Number
123019
Date Published
1989
Length
32 pages
Annotation
Information from a survey and site visits to the 21 juvenile-family crisis intervention units in New Jersey in 1987 and 1988 formed the basis of this analysis of the history, services, organization, and problems of these units.
Abstract
The results showed that the crisis intervention system of treating problems in the context of the family as a whole is superior to the previous approach, which focused mainly on the child's behavior and which overlooked that behavior as a possible symptom of a larger and more pervasive family problem. The current approach has been successful in diverting most cases from the court, thereby both avoiding the stigma of court involvement for most children involved in a juvenile-family crisis and saving court resources. The crisis intervention units have also succeeded in keeping families intact by handling most cases without placing children out of the homes. Although all the units meet the minimum required standards of service, they face problems in the areas of funding, high personnel turnover, and the enforcement of court orders. Tables and appended forms and program descriptions are included.