NCJ Number
84836
Date Published
1979
Length
34 pages
Annotation
This longitudinal study examines interorganizational aspects of South Philadelphia's Youth Services Center (YSC), a juvenile court diversion program, including YSC relations with the central office and interactions with the police, courts, other human service agencies, and the community.
Abstract
The key areas of interorganizational activity examined were referral activity, diversion, and advocacy. The research methodology involved obtaining research findings from previous reports and an examination of YSC's archival data that had not been formally analyzed. Referral activity increased over 1975-78, and various social service agency personnel had high regard for the quality of YSC activity in this area. It is not apparent, however, that the community perceives the agency as a well-respected referral source. Also, the staff appears dissatisfied with its own internal referral processes. In the area of diversion, there is no indication that the YSC intervention has produced less socially controlling court dispositions or lessened a youth's time of involvement in the court system. With regard to advocacy, the YSC staff apparently does not hold a common conceptual and operational definition of advocacy, and this ambiguity appears to limit the extent of advocacy activities practiced by the agency. Tabular data are appended, and 10 bibliographic entries are provided.