NCJ Number
132165
Date Published
1991
Length
39 pages
Annotation
This evaluation of the New Orleans Youth Study Center's use of pretrial electronic monitoring (EM) of juveniles compares the experiences of the EM program with those of the Community Attention Program (CAP) which uses pretrial home detention and intensive supervision without EM.
Abstract
A total of 127 juveniles completed the EM program, and 145 completed the CAP program in the time period studied (October 1, 1989, through January 31, 1991). A comparison of participants in the two programs indicates that the EM program participants had more extensive prior arrest histories than CAP participants. Of the CAP participants, 85 percent successfully completed the program without termination; only 75 percent of the EM participants did so. Because participants were not randomly assigned to the two groups, the extent to which these outcome differences were due to programmatic factors could not be determined. The most common reason for being terminated from both programs was being arrested while in the program. Factors most predictive of success for EM participants were time in the program, age, and previous arrests. Recommendations for improving the EM program include greater cooperation between the program and the Juvenile Division, the documentation of noncompliance incidents and responses to them, increased client contact when the EM monitoring system malfunctions, and the use of wristlets or anklets for particularly troublesome juveniles in addition to current EM telephone contacts. 22 tables and appended evaluation instruments