METHODOLOGICAL AND THEORETICAL ISSUES IN JUVENILE DIVERSION - IMPLICATIONS FOR EVALUATIONS

• NCJ Number: 54011
• Author(s): D BERG; D SHICHOR
• Date Published: 1977
• Length: 29 pages
• Grant Number(s): 0807-3
• Sponsoring Agency: California Office of Criminal Justice Planning
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: PRESENTED AT THE NATIONAL CONFERENCE ON CRIMINAL JUSTICE EVALUATION, WASHINGTON, DC, FEBRUARY 1977

Annotation

THIS REVIEW OF METHODLOGICAL PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH THE EVALUATION OF JUVENILE DIVERSION PROGRAMS IS BASED ON A 1975 EVALUATION OF THE BEHAVIORAL ASSESSMENT AND TREATMENT SERVICES CENTER, ORANGE COUNTY, CALIF.

Abstract

THIS DIVERSION PROGRAM WAS SET UP TO PROVIDE A MULTIDISCIPLINARY RESOURCE TO WHICH THE POLICE COULD REFER EMOTIONALLY DISTURBED OR BEHAVIORALLY DISORDERED JUVENILES FOR ASSESSMENT AND TREATMENT, DIVERTING THEM FROM THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM. IT UTILIZED OTHER COMMUNITY AGENCIES IN REACHING ITS GOAL. THE FOLLOWING EVALUATION PROBLEMS ARE SEEN: (1) DEFINING DIVERSION, (2) DEFINING THE GOALS OF THE PROGRAM, AND (3) ANSWERING THE QUESTION, 'DOES THE EXISTENCE OF THIS PROGRAM EXTEND SUPERVISION TO THOSE WHO OTHERWISE MIGHT NOT BE SUPERVISED?' THE ENTIRE EVALUATION IS REVIEWED IN DETAIL. SINCE RANDOM SAMPLING WAS NOT POSSIBLE, A QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN WAS CHOSEN. SAMPLE CASE RECORDS FROM BOTH THE DIVERSION PROGRAM AND FROM THE POPULATION OF JUVENILES PLACED ON PAROLE (THE CONTROL GROUP) WERE SELECTED. THIS EVALUATION SHOWED THAT DIVERSION PROGRAM YOUTH HAD LOWER RECIDIVISM RATES. HOWEVER, EXAMINATION OF THE DATA FINDS A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN THE TWO POPULATIONS. THE DIVERSION YOUTH WERE SIGNIFICANTLY YOUNGER, MORE LIKELY TO BE FEMALE, AND SIGNIFICANTLY MORE LIKELY TO BE WHITE FIRST-TIME OFFENDERS. STATUS OFFENDERS WERE ALSO OVERREPRESENTED. SUBSETS OF BOTH GROUPS WERE ANALYZED. IT IS FOUND THAT IF AGE, SEX, AND PREVIOUS CONTACTS WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES ARE CONTROLLED, ONLY THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MALES 13-15 YEARS OLD WITHOUT PRIOR REFERRAL TO PROBATION IS FOUND TO BE SIGNIFICANT, 16.7 PERCENT LESS FOR THE DIVERSION GROUP. GENERALLY THE PATTERNS OF REFERRAL ARE BETTER FOR YOUNGER AGE GROUPS AND WORSE FOR THOSE WITH PRIOR REFERRAL, ESPECIALLY AMONG MALES. IT IS CONCLUDED THAT ADDITIONAL RESEARCH IS NEEDED TO FIND OUT HOW MUCH OF THE PROGRAM'S SUCCESS IS DUE TO TREATMENT IMPACT, AND HOW MUCH TO CLIENT SELECTION FACTORS. MORE RIGOROUS CLARIFICATION OF PROGRAM GOALS IS ALSO RECOMMENDED. TABLES PRESENT STUDY DATA. A BIBLIOGRAPHY IS APPENDED.