For 3.5 years, North Carolina has conducted a randomized experimental program designed to provide intensive supervision services for undisciplined youths (status offenders) placed under the protective supervision of the juvenile courts. Updated results from an ongoing systematic evaluation of the project indicate that, for undisciplined youths with no prior history of court referrals for delinquent acts, the Intensive Protective Supervision Program provides a reduction of 15 to 20 percent in the rate of progression to delinquent offenses during the supervision period and a cumulative (supervision period plus up to one year after supervision) reduction of 25 to 30 percent relative to the corresponding rates observed for youths in regular protective supervision. Experimental results also indicate: that early intervention (i.e., for status offenders who have not yet been referred to the courts for delinquent acts) facilitates reduction in subsequent delinquent behavior; that the reduction occurs primarily in referrals for nonfelony delinquent offenses; that there also are intensive supervision effects on reducing the runaway and truancy offense recidivism rates; that intensive supervision has a longer lasting (post-supervision period) effect than regular supervision; that measurement scales can be developed for predicting which characteristics of a youth client and her/his family are likely to lead to success in the intensive supervision program; and that, for the continuing effectiveness of intensive supervision, it may be essential to provide counselors with periodic morale-boosting attention and training in counseling and therapeutic methods to guard against the possibility of counselor burnout. (Author)