NCJ Number
59314
Date Published
1978
Length
124 pages
Annotation
THE OPERATION AND EFFECTIVENESS OF THE CERRITOS CORRIDOR PROJECT, A LOS ANGELES AREA JUVENILE DIVERSION PROJECT FUNDED BY LEAA, ARE DESCRIBED AND EVALUATED FOR THE 3-YEAR PERIOD ENDING IN AUGUST, 1978.
Abstract
THE PROJECT, FUNDED BY THREE CONSECUTIVE $266,667 LEAA GRANTS, FOCUSED ON PROVIDING COUNSELING SERVICES TO JUVENILES, USING 20 CONTRACT AGENCIES. IN ITS FIRST 3 YEARS, 2138 JUVENILES WERE SERVED; NEARLY 70 PERCENT OF THE CASES REFERRED IN THE THIRD YEAR WERE CLOSED, BUT ONLY 43 PERCENT WERE CONSIDERED SUCCESSFUL. PLANNED SERVICES FOR 15 PERCENT OF THE CASES WERE CANCELLED DUE TO CLIENT UNCOOPERATIVENESS OR FAILURE TO APPEAR FOR INTAKE. SUCCESSFUL CASES RECEIVED AN AVERAGE OF 9 1/2 HOURS OF COUNSELING OR 19 HOURS OF OTHER TYPES OF SERVICE, WITH THE AVERAGE TIME LAG BETWEEN REFERRAL TO AN AGENCY AND INTAKE BEING 8 1/10 DAYS. OVERALL RECIDIVISM WAS 27.2 PERCENT, ALTHOUGH THE PROJECT APPEARED TO REDUCE RECIDIVISM FOR MINOR OFFENDERS, IT SPENT ONLY 3 PERCENT OF ITS BUDGET ON DIRECT SERVICES, WHILE 67 PERCENT WENT FOR OVERHEAD. NEVERTHELESS, THE PROJECT HAS PROVIDED MORE SERVICES PER CASE AT A COST LOWER THAN THE TRADITIONAL JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEM. THE PROJECT SHOULD BE CONTINUED AND CONSOLIDATED WITH ADJACENT SIMILAR PROJECTS, AND OVERHEAD SHOULD BE REDUCED AND NEW SERVICES DEVELOPED. FOOTNOTES, EXTENSIVE TABLES, A DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT, AND AN APPENDIX SHOWING JUVENILE ARRESTS AND DISPOSITIONS IN THE AREA ARE INCLUDED. (CFW)