Diversion of Juvenile Delinquents - A First Step Toward the Dissemination of a Successful Innovation

• NCJ Number: 85146
• Author(s): C H Blakely
• Date Published: 1981
• Length: 301 pages
• Sale Source: UMI Dissertation Services
• Publication Type: Thesis/Dissertation
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: *This document is currently unavailable from NCJRS. Michigan State University - doctoral dissertation

Annotation

Intervention strategies targeted at juvenile offenders by court-supervised volunteers are likely to result in higher recidivism rates among offenders than are strategies used by noncourt-supervised volunteers.

Abstract

Illinois' Adolescent Diversion Project is an example of a successful diversion program. To test the role of the diversion component in contributing to this success, juvenile offenders in Michigan who were referred from the county juvenile court were randomly assigned to either experimental or court treatment. Volunteers in the court condition were trained by project staff in the same intervention strategies (i.e., behavioral contracting, child advocacy) as were the experimental volunteers. Volunteers in the court condition substantially altered the intervention model during implementation. Their intervention goals were different from volunteers in the diversion condition. Volunteers in the court condition did not retain as much of the training material, did not value the training experience, viewed delinquents negatively, and were more likely to recommend punitive intervention strategies. Court condition youth were more likely to recidivate and receive more serious dispositional decisions regarding offense seriousness. The study discusses further implications of these findings and directions for further research.