Describes studies of two rural programs for diverting status offenders from court system to alternative community programs. Examines communities and programs, suggests rural offender characteristics are similar to urban ones. Recommends development of community-based alternatives to child welfare and juvenile justice systems. (TES)

Offers four judges' perspectives on the various changes in the juvenile court system focusing on the increased violence among juveniles as having the greatest effect on the courts; includes issues such as juveniles being tried in adult courts, the need to improve juvenile courts, and the role of public interest. (CMK)

The Indiana juvenile justice system is charged with intervening on behalf of youthful offenders for the purposes of providing care, treatment, protection, or rehabilitation. This report provides an overview of the state's juvenile justice system, which has fallen under widespread criticism for many years. The following issues are identified: data…

A staff needs assessment found an overwhelming number of staff (n=55) felt the need for additional training in working with juvenile sexual offenders in their care. This practicum was designed to assist them in meeting the needs of children with sexual victimization and/or sexual offense issues in an effective and appropriate manner. Training…

A cooperative community-school district counseling program to reduce truancy and juvenile delinquency in Inglewood, California is described. Material, in the form of official memos, is divided into four sections. Section 1 describes project funding and target students. Section 2 contains statistics related to the numbers of students served, put on…

Some evaluations have concluded that diversion programs for juvenile offenders (programs intended as community-based alternatives to formal justice dispositions) reduce recidivism only among youths with the least serious offense histories. To investigate the relationship of offense history to program effectiveness, three diversion programs were…

This booklet reviews programs and specialized services available for the serious juvenile offender without any attempt to evaluate the programs. The descriptions focus on alternative rehabilitation residential facilities, community-based programs, day-treatment, educational and vocational programs, and secure treatment facilities. In addition to…

The Minnesota Youth Advocacy Corps is an attempt to bridge the gap between institution and community for delinquent youth. The Corps was planned jointly by the Minnesota Departments of Education and Corrections, was funded by HEW (through the Youth Delinquency Prevention Administration) for initial organizational purposes and continued by funds…

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…

Statutory laws, case laws, and model laws have been provided in this report as a basis for comparing Mississippi's juvenile laws with other juvenile laws. Since legislation concerning juvenile courts is vast, complete legislation is only provided for the State of Mississippi and two model juvenile court acts. Discussion, however, is provided which…

Growing evidence indicates that teen courts give a community's children and adults a practical response to the problems associated with delinquency, traffic safety, and substance abuse. Developing and implementing teen courts requires a collaborative effort and juvenile justice agencies need baseline information that will aid them in creating teen…

Single-case design methodology is evaluated for its effect on treatment outcomes. Participants were juvenile delinquents treated by probation officers with social work degrees in Israel. A quasi-experimental design used measures of the functioning of participants in several settings as dependent variables. Results are presented and discussed. (EMK)

Believes that the drop in urban teenage crime can be attributed to the change in how communities meet the needs of children and teenagers. Compares the U.S. cities with successful youth programs to ones that lack resources. Recommends that suburban and rural communities should also adopt programs to combat youth crime and violence. (CMK)

The Maine Youth Center was established to rehabilitate juvenile offenders. The primary treatment philosophy at the Center is Reality Therapy, which stresses that individuals are responsible for their own behavior. To test the effectiveness of the therapy, major assessments of the youths were conducted at 6-month intervals in 1980 and 1981. The…

This report summarizes data collected in the "most ambitious study of the out-of-state placement of children ever undertaken in America." It reports data gathered for the year 1978 from more than 20,000 public agencies in all 50 states and the District of Columbia and from more than 50 counties, including 60,000 individual contacts. The volume is…