NCJ Number
187532
Date Published
2000
Length
0 pages
Annotation
This CD-ROM report presents findings from an evaluation of Florida’s programs that released youth between July 1, 1997, and June 30, 1998; study findings have implications for policy and management of the juvenile justice system.
Abstract
Data from almost 1,000 different programs and case management units of the Prevention, Intervention, and Commitment program components of Florida’s Department of Juvenile Justice were collected and analyzed. The youth who completed prevention programs in general had lower rates of subsequent involvement with the juvenile justice system than did those who did not complete such programs. This finding suggests that programs that are able to engage youth and their families and motivate them to complete services in prevention may be more effective. Programs with lower percentages of youth with prior adjudications also had a higher rate of success. Overall findings for prevention programs suggest that the most successful programs address multiple risk factors in multiple domains in the lives of youth. Findings show that over the last 3 years, the number of youth diverted has declined by more than 14 percent. Recidivism figures presented in this report indicate that older youth tended to be less likely to reoffend. The success rate (rate of nonrecidivism) for youth released from commitment programs at all levels was 58 percent. More than two-thirds of youth released from non-residential programs and maximum-risk programs were able to remain crime-free for 1 year after release. The success rate for minimum-, moderate-, and high-risk residential programs was approximately 55 percent. Based on the analysis of recidivism by length of stay, age of offender, and prior adjudicated referrals, selectively increasing lengths of stay based on offender characteristics rather than the level of restrictiveness may increase rates of success while minimizing additional costs. Appended program descriptions, prevention tables, diversion and intervention tables, commitment tables, and expected recidivism tables