Evaluation of the Youth Advocacy Program - Final Report

• NCJ Number: 92782
• Author(s): R Cronin; B Bourque; F Gragg; P Parham; S Dory
• Date Published: 1983
• Length: 329 pages
• Contract Number(s): 82-JS-AX-003
• Sponsoring Agency: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP)
• Corporate Author: American Institutes for Research
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/; NCJRS Photocopy Services
• Publication Type: Program/Project Evaluation
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This document presents the findings of an independent evaluation conducted between January 1981 through May 1983 of 22 projects in 18 States awarded funds under the Youth Advocacy Program, whose objectives were to realize system reforms at State and local levels that improved services to youth and to identify effective youth advocacy strategies.

Abstract

The report describes agencies that received funding, their activities and outcomes, and variables associated with success. Data for the evaluation included monthly project reports, site visits and interviews, two rounds of interviews with key persons in selected agencies, and reviews of archival records. Of all the projects, 27 percent were oriented toward juvenile justice, 26 percent to education, and 15 percent to social services, with the remainder cutting across all three sectors. Most used a variety of tactics, preferring direct approaches that were persuasive, nonconfrontational, and cooperative. In terms of overall significance, 20 percent of all outcomes were rated major, 44 percent as moderate, and 36 percent as minor. Accomplishments included reorganization of youth serving agencies, modification of juvenile codes regarding due process protections or detention conditions, and preservation or expansion of appropriations for community-based alternatives to incarceration. The most successful activities were those that took on bigger and public targets, such as State executive agencies. Of the direct tactics, litigation and statute revision were most effective. Education was the most difficult sector in which to score big successes, whereas juvenile justice was the most successful. Activities that got started earliest, lasted the longest, and took the largest amount of staff time were the most effective. Experience and low staff turnover were also strong predictors of project success. The appendixes contain tables, a description of the evaluation's methodology, questionnaires, and synopses of the projects.