Approaches to Assessing Juvenile Justice Program Performance

• NCJ Number: 207958
• Author(s): Mary Poulin
• Date Published: July 2004
• Length: 22 pages
• Grant Number(s): 98-RN-FX-0112
• Sponsoring Agency: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP)
• Corporate Author: Juvenile Justice Evaluation Ctr
• Sale Source: NCJRS Photocopy Services; Juvenile Justice Evaluation Ctr
• Publication Format: Document (Online)
• Publication Type: Technical Assistance
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Program Evaluation Briefing Series #7; downloaded December 13, 2004.

Annotation

Written for recipients of grants from the Federal Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), this briefing discusses methods for assessing juvenile justice program performance, factors that influence the selection of an assessment method, preparation for a performance assessment, and the use of performance measurement to fulfill OJJDP requirements.

Abstract

The three major methods of assessing program performance are program monitoring, which provides information on outputs; performance measurement, which provides information on outputs and outcomes; and impact evaluation, which provides information on outputs and/or outcomes while controlling for at least one factor that is external to the program in order to determine whether the program itself is responsible for the goals and objectives being reached. Program monitoring is not sufficient for meeting the program evaluation requirements of the Government Performance and Results Act and the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act. The key factors that influence the choice of an assessment method are time, money, funding requirements, information needs, and the level of knowledge required to use each method. Preparation for a performance assessment requires that a sound and formal program design is in place, that the program is serving the population it is intended to serve, that the resources required to operate the program are in place, that the activities are being implemented as designed, and that the program can provide data for the evaluation. According to OJJDP, in order to determine whether a project has achieved "substantial success," a State is expected to require that applicants for subgrants provide clear, achievable goals and measurable objectives as well as performance measures that will show the degree to which goals and objective have been achieved. States must also require applicants to identify data sources to be used in assessing the performance measures. A 14-item bibliography