Risks, Fixers, and Zeal: Implementing Experimental Treatments for Violent Juvenile Offenders

• NCJ Number: 162101
• Journal: Prison Journal Volume: 76 Issue: 1 Dated: (March 1996) Pages: 22-59
• Author(s): J Fagan; M Forst
• Date Published: 1996
• Length: 38 pages
• Grant Number(s): 85-MU-AX-C001
• Sponsoring Agency: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP)
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Program/Project Evaluation
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This evaluation assessed the implementation and outcomes of the Violent Juvenile Offender Research and Development Program at four sites: Memphis, Tenn.; Newark, N.J.; Boston; and Detroit.

Abstract

The intervention model integrated strain, control, and learning theories of delinquent behavior and measured its impact on the recidivism and social outcomes compared to those of juveniles in mainstream juvenile corrections programs. The program design included a multiple-phase program, theoretical principles, structural elements, and the intervention strategies. Program components focused on social networking, the provision of youth opportunities, social learning, and goal-oriented behaviors. The structural elements included components to implement the underlying principles and deliver the specific treatment interventions. Data on program implementation were obtained through participant observation, staff questionnaires, youth interviews, and archival data. Differences among host agencies were identified as possible influences on model implementation. The alignment of influential staff within agencies, the complexity and centralization of decisionmaking, and the culture of "rule compliance" within the agencies contributed to variations in organization that in turn mitigated implementation outcomes. Findings show that recidivism rates were lower in the Detroit and Boston programs, those with the strongest overall implementation. In the Memphis program, where there was stronger implementation of the theoretical and structural elements in the control group, recidivism rates were lower where implementation of the experimental intervention was strongest. In Newark, where implementation was weak in all areas, there were no effects. The evaluation concludes that the effectiveness of correctional interventions reflects the strength of the treatments they use, and this strength directly reflects the outcomes of their implementation efforts. 3 tables, 6 figures, 5 notes, and 48 references