NCJ Number
81378
Date Published
1981
Length
50 pages
Annotation
Findings are presented from an evaluation of the Texas Community Assistance Program (CAP), a program of State subsidies to local juvenile probation departments to promote juvenile community-based programs.
Abstract
CAP was expected to provide relief for the State juvenile institutions by developing local community-based corrections programs that would provide a more humane mode of treatment for juveniles in their own communities. The program was also expected to save the State money by reducing institutional costs. The opening chapter reviews the Texas juvenile justice system and summarizes the events that led to organizational and programmatic changes in the Texas Youth Council. These events also exposed the need for a program like CAP. The second chapter reviews CAP's overall purpose, goals, objectives, target populations, and the types of programs that were to be developed. Pressures from State officials to develop a method by which to determine CAP's cost-effectiveness led to the first funding mechanism modification in fiscal year 1977 and the shift to the diversion strategy that remained operational throughout the 1977-79 period. The program evaluation of this period was hampered by the lack of programmatic data due to CAP's inadequate management information system. The programmatic and funding mechanism modifications that broadened the scope of the program for 1980-81 are discussed in the third chapter. Evaluation of the new programmatic elements was not possible due to the limited time they had been in operation, but significant management improvements for 1981 were noted. Among these was the agency's attempt to develop a valid program planning base and management information system. The final chapter describes the most recent modification of CAP: a Youth Council proposal to enlarge the foundation established by CAP to develop and administer a statewide system of juvenile probation services. Limited tabular data are provided. (Author summary modified)