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IDSA (Individualized Developmental Systems Approach) - The Attention Center's Treatment Program

NCJ Number
101015
Date Published
1985
Length
20 pages
Annotation
This report describes a highly structured, secure community-based juvenile treatment program in Lincoln, Neb., with provisions for a youth's progressive transition back into the community.
Abstract
The program is for county residents (both girls and boys) 13 to 18 years old who have been adjudicated delinquent and have demonstrated difficulty in living in open environments. Problems must not be so severe as to preclude effective treatment with program resources. The juvenile must be willing to participate in the program for up to 12 months. A therapeutic milieu is provided through a teaching staff, a five-step incentive program, family therapy, individual and group counseling, an education program, and a volunteer program. Complementary treatment modalities are reality therapy, family systems, learning theory, an ecological system, and group and individual therapies. Admission review consists of a review of the referral packet and interviews with juveniles and their parents in the course of a facility visit. The core of the program is a five-step incentive system that guides residents toward responsible living in the community. This includes monitoring of the juvenile's behavior after returning to the family. Posttests are administered to determine progress 12 to 18 months after discharge.