NCJ Number
224474
Journal
Journal od Offender Rehabilitation Volume: 47 Issue: 4 Dated: 2008 Pages: 356-384
Date Published
2008
Length
29 pages
Annotation
This article presents the methodology and findings of an evaluation of the Post-Arrest Diversion (PAD) program of the Miami-Dade County Juvenile Assessment Center (Florida).
Abstract
The evaluation--whose purpose was to assess the effectiveness of the PAD program in reducing the rate at which first-time, nonviolent juvenile offenders reoffended over a 1-year followup period--determined that youths who completed PAD had significantly fewer arrests and charges than those who did not complete PAD. Thirty-three percent of youths who failed to complete PAD were arrested one or more times during the followup period, compared to 15 percent of those who completed PAD. Seventy-two percent (n=293 youths) completed PAD. Most of the 116 youths who failed to complete PAD either did not fulfill their required sanctions or were arrested on new charges during program participation. There were no significant direct effects for race/ethnicity on reoffending. The PAD program is an innovative approach to treatment and intervention within the juvenile justice system. It uses standardized psychosocial risks and needs assessment in order to provide individual treatment for first-time, nonviolent juvenile offenders. The study sample consisted of 409 youths (255 males and 154 females) who entered PAD between April and June of 2003. Stepwise, Poisson, and OLS regression analyses were conducted to determine the effects on the number of reoffending arrests and charges of the following variables: sociodemographic characteristics, type of charges leading to program involvement, recidivism risk level, PAD completion, and arrests while in PAD. 5 tables, 62 references, and appended description of offense categories