NCJ Number
136835
Journal
AAOP (Addictions Association of Pennsylvania) Journal Volume: 4 Issue: 2 Dated: (Spring 1992) Pages: 10-13
Date Published
1992
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This article describes the Pennsylvania Juvenile Court Judges' Commission PENNFREE Program which provides specialized probation services to juvenile offenders who have problems with alcohol or other drugs.
Abstract
A total of $3.5 million was allocated to county juvenile probation departments throughout 1990 and 1991 to support specialized intensive probation and aftercare programs, a statewide drug testing program, and a training program for juvenile probation officers assigned to supervise these specialized caseloads. Another important element of the program is the Problem Severity Index, a computerized assessment tool designed in cooperation with the University of Pennsylvania/Philadelphia Veterans Administration Medical Center. The Index provides juvenile probation officers with a reliable screening instrument for the identification, documentation, and response to drug and alcohol use and other important areas of functioning among juveniles who enter the State's juvenile justice system. This article provides a summary of program data collected thus far. Overall, this report concludes that the PENNFREE Program has been effective in achieving its goals. 1 table and 1 figure