NCJ Number
68067
Date Published
1978
Length
10 pages
Annotation
THE BETA PROGRAM FOR JUVENILE FIRST-TIME MAJOR PROPERTY OFFENDERS IN MINNEAPOLIS, MINN., IS DESCRIBED AND EVALUATED IN THIS REPORT.
Abstract
THE PROGRAM IS A 'LOGICAL CONSEQUENCES' OR DETERRENCE MODEL WHICH IS INTENDED TO PROVIDE FIRM, FAST, AND FAIR CONSEQUENCES FOR PROPERTY OFFENDERS. MALES BETWEEN THE AGES OF 12 AND 18 ENTER THE PROGRAM BY WAY OF A COURT DISPOSITION FROM HENNEPIN COUNTY'S JUVENILE COURT. THE EVALUATION SHOWED THAT BETWEEN THE STATE OF THE PROGRAM IN AUGUST 1976 THROUGH DECEMBER 1977, AN AVERAGE OF 16 JUVENILES PER MONTH (TOTAL: 268) WERE ADMITTED, AND THAT AN AVERAGE OF 44 PERCENT OF THE PROGRAM'S CAPACITY WAS USED PER MONTH. THE TYPICAL RESIDENT WAS 15 YEARS OLD, HAD A SCHOOL ATTENDANCE PROBLEM, PERFORMED BELOW AVERAGE IN CLASSES, AND CAME FROM A TWO-PARENT HOUSEHOLD. IN ORDER TO MEASURE THE PROGRAM'S EFFECT ON RECIDIVISM, A SAMPLE GROUP COMPOSED OF THE FIRST 77 PARTICIPANTS WHO WERE RELEASED AND WHO HAD RECEIVED A DISPOSITION FOR THE PROGRAM ALONE WAS COMPARED WITH A SIMILAR GROUP OF 100 OFFENDERS RELEASED PRIOR TO THE START OF THE PROGRAM, AND TO A GROUP OF 94 SIMILAR OFFENDERS WHO RECEIVED OTHER DISPOSITIONS AT THE TIME OF THE PROGRAM RELEASE. THE RECIDIVISM RATE FOR PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS WAS ONE-THIRD OF THAT FOR MEMBERS OF THE OTHER GROUPS. A FOLLOW-UP PHONE SURVEY OF 54 FORMER PARTICIPANTS SHOWED A 15 PERCENT GAIN IN THE NUMBER OF JUVENILES WITH NO SCHOOL ATTENDANCE PROBLEM. FINALLY, THE NUMBER OF MALE BURGLARS REFERRED TO JUVENILE INTAKE DECLINED DURING THE PERIOD OF PROGRAM OPERATION: FROM 826 (16 PERCENT OF ALL MALES REFERRED TO INTAKE) IN 1975, TO 670 (15 PERCENT) IN 1976, TO 671 (12 PERCENT) IN 1977. SINCE A HIGH NUMBER OF RECIDIVISTS WERE FROM A RACIAL MINORITY GROUP, HAD A HISTORY OF BEING PLACED ON PROBATION, AND HAD A SCHOOL ATTENDANCE PROBLEM, THE STUDY RECOMMENDED THAT THE PROGRAM SHOULD BE MODIFIED TO ACCOMMODATE THEM. A TABLE WITH RECIDIVISM DATA IS INCLUDED, BUT FOOTNOTES OR REFERENCES ARE NOT PRESENT.