Statewide Evaluation of the DCJ Juvenile Diversion Program

• NCJ Number: 244833
• Author(s): Joy Collins, M.S.S.; Rashaun Esposito; Jeremy Kazanjian-Amory, B.A.; Rochelle McCauley, M.P.H.; Danielle Olds, B.A.; Jennifer Shepherd, Ph.D.
• Date Published: June 2013
• Length: 72 pages
• Grant Number(s): 2011-JF-FX-0025
• Sponsoring Agency: Colorado Division of Criminal Justice; Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP)
• Corporate Author: OMNI Institute
• Sale Source: Colorado Division of Criminal Justice
• Publication Format: Document; Document (Online)
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical); Program/Project Evaluation
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

Findings and methodology are presented for a statewide evaluation of Colorado's 19 State-funded juvenile diversion programs, which are designed to divert youth from penetrating further into the juvenile justice system.

Abstract

The evaluation found that beneficial changes in self-esteem, locus of control, and risky behavioral intentions significantly correlated with reduced recidivism. Community service independently predicted lower recidivism among youth who had prior contact with police. Receiving restorative justice services marginally predicted change in locus of control; however, this association was only observed for those receiving multiple services. Receiving multiple supervision services was predictive of a decrease in risky behavioral intentions. Treatment services were the strongest predictor of positive change over the short term. Receiving a diagnostic assessment is best interpreted as a proxy for having been properly assessed and then treated as necessary based on the results. Programs that use a formal brief screen as part of their intake and assessment practices were more likely to assign treatment services for youth, which suggests the importance of having a process for identifying and addressing treatment needs. This report advises that it is important to replicate these findings before drawing strong conclusions; continuation of the evaluation will allow for these findings to be re-tested. Recommendations are provided for future evaluation efforts. Data were collected on 25 services, which were grouped into 5 categories: supervision, treatment, accountability, restorative justice, and competency services. The outcome evaluation included several types of data collection. Program staff and youth provided the majority of data, specifically the background data on the youth and the short-term outcome data. Program staff collected background and process data on each youth at intake and exit. Long-term recidivism outcomes were obtained for statewide district-level offenses for all youth who had exited a diversion program in the State for up to 1 year. Extensive figures and appended research instruments