Evaluation of the Habitual Serious and Violent Juvenile Offender Program: Final Report

• NCJ Number: 113561
• Author(s): R C Cronin; B B Bourque; F E Gragg; J M Mell; A A McGrady
• Date Published: 1988
• Length: 143 pages
• Grant Number(s): 85-JN-CX-0013
• Sponsoring Agency: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP)
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/; NCJRS Photocopy Services
• Publication Type: Program/Project Evaluation
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This report presents evaluation results for the performance of the Habitual Serious and Violent Juvenile Offender Program (HSVJOP), begun in 1984 to improve the processing and disposition of serious juvenile offenders, for Miami, Milwaukee, Seattle, and Washington, D.C.

Abstract

The HSVJOP called for the assignment of experienced prosecutors to serious juvenile cases, vertical prosecution (one prosecutor to handle each case from start to finish), accelerated prosecution, and limits on plea and sentence bargaining. The program also included enhanced victim and correctional services. A 3-year evaluation of the 2-year program focused on the project's effects on file charges, case processing, and case outcomes. The study used a multiple cohort design that permitted comparisons between target cases processed during a baseline and program period and between target cases prosecuted by project and other attorneys in the office. Findings indicate that prosecutor's offices can successfully implement programs to target youth defined as habitually serious, violent offenders. Recommendations are offered for program implementation and operation. Data tables, appended supplementary information, 75-item bibliography.