NCJ Number
214436
Date Published
October 1998
Length
71 pages
Annotation
This evaluation reviews the design, implementation, and performance of the SODAT Wilmington Community Court Project in Delaware and provides recommendations for improvement to the project.
Abstract
Overall the SODAT Wilmington Community Court Project located in Delaware has been a successful program. A full-time coordinator has established procedures for securing and training community court panelists, as well as various options for community service. The program has been well received by the parents of the youth who have participated in the program. Parents noted that the panel spoke to their children on their level and treated the parents with respect. The Community Court Project is identified as successful, useful, and beneficial. The program is designed to remove nonviolent youthful offenders from the juvenile justice system and impress upon the youthful offender that his/her actions were wrong and the community in which he/she lives will hold him/her accountable for their actions. A panel convenes and assigns a sanction (i.e. community service) appropriate to the juvenile and the offense committed, within weeks of the arrest. The goal of the process/implementation evaluation was to review the design and underlying theory of the Community Court Project. Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance, this evaluation reviews the goals, implementation, and process of the program operation to assess whether it is meeting its goals and if it is functioning as designed. Appendixes