In this study, the authors examined the long-term criminal activity of 176 youths who had participated in either multisystemic therapy (MST) or individual therapy (IT) in a randomized clinical trial (C. M. Borduin et al., 1995). Arrest and incarceration data were obtained on average 13.7 (range = 10.2-15.9) years later when participants were on…

"Recidivism of Discharges from the Hawaii Youth Correctional Facility--1974 to 1978" (Zych, 1984) was a research project which examined characteristics of the recidivist as a juvenile, such as sex, commitment offense, and age at commitment. A study was undertaken to supplement that research project by examining additional variables…

An innovation in the teaching of undergraduate psychology courses is the implementation of a field experience that gives students the opportunity to apply newly learned skills and knowledge in a community setting. Changes in undergraduates' attitudes toward various delinquency interventions were examined as a result of participation in a…

This monograph is an analysis of the use of residential and non-residential programs as alternatives to secure detention for juveniles awaiting adjudicatory hearings in juvenile courts. The analysis is based on literature from the last decade supplemented by interviews and statistics from site visits to 14 juvenile court jurisdictions with…

This report on the Chinatown Youth Services and Coordinating Center (CYSCC) presents a short-term evaluation of the delinquency prevention program operating in San Francisco's Chinatown. Research problems bearing on the evaluation were said to be the lack of concensus among all interviewed (every permanent member of the staff of CYSCC) as to the…

Learning disabled (n=34) and low-achieving (n=34) incarcerated delinquents (16-19 years) were assigned to social metacognitive training, attention control, or test-only control groups. Those given metacognitive training improved in rehabilitation achievement and other areas of social adjustment, with a greater proportion of the learning disabled…

Studied the role of the family in delinquent rehabilitation using a survey of 94 juvenile offenders and their parents. Results revealed a gross lack of information in parents about rehabilitation and post-release adjustment. Evaluates a pilot family education project addressing specific information deficiencies and presents recommendations for its…

The principles of behavioral engineering were applied to create a program for delinquent youth to facilitate their adjustment into the regular pattern of the normal public school. Results indicated that the behavioral engineering method produced a significantly greater number of placements and significantly less recidivism. (Author)

This study evaluated a multiple-family group-intervention program (MFGI) for first-time juvenile offenders. The recidivism rate for subjects who completed the MFGI (the Family Solutions Program) was compared to recidivism rates of two other groups of first-time juvenile offenders. Using logistic regression analysis predicting who will recidivate,…

Actuarial risk assessment instruments are used increasingly in juvenile justice to classify youths according to their risk of recidivism. The purpose of this article is to describe the results of two studies of one instrument: the North Carolina Assessment of Risk (NCAR). In the first study, the inter-rater reliability of the risk assessment…

This document reports results of a study that examined the status of and need for vocational education by juveniles and adults in state correctional institutions and local jails in Ohio. The study report includes the following: (1) an overall picture of crime and criminal justice in Ohio; (2) a rationale for providing vocational skill training for…

The idea of diverting youths away from the juvenile justice system has grown in the past decade. Most evaluations of diversion programs have been program-centered rather than examining individual programs, and in most cases, success has been judged by recidivism rates. A diversion program, called the Careers Center, was investigated and a…

The use of undergraduates (N=57) working on a one-to-one basis with delinquent youths as the change agents in a nonprofessional program which systematically varied training/supervision/intervention components was investigated. Students and delinquents (N=73) were randomly assigned to one of four experimental training/supervision conditions or to a…

Research points to two major deficits in the juvenile offender: behavioral (minimal social adaptive skills) and educational (learning disabilities). A private hospitalization treatment program for adolescents is described which combines a behavioral and educational approach to the juvenile offender. A case study illustrates how a…

Studied 340 former inmates of two reform schools. One school emphasized psychological treatment; the other school stressed harsh punishment. Results suggested that "milieu therapy" works in adolescence, but has no discernible effect after age 24. Ethnicity had a powerful effect on recidivism. (JAC)