NCJ Number
223619
Date Published
1999
Length
158 pages
Annotation
This report presents the 1997 through mid-year 1999 national evaluation of Community Assessment Centers (CACs), which aim to bring together the fragmented service delivery system for violent and habitual juvenile offenders in a collaborative, timely, and comprehensive manner.
Abstract
This process and preliminary outcome evaluation of four CAC sites concludes that the CAC concept holds some promise, as the collaborations that are overseeing the development and functioning of the centers are working hard to achieve the goals set for them. The evaluation found many positive CAC effects on integration, collaboration, and functioning of the juvenile justice system. There are still problems that must be addressed, including staffing that is sufficient to meet program goals, the provision of services consistent with known best practices for helping juveniles and their families, the development of effective management information systems, and means of ensuring that the rights of juveniles brought to the CACs are clearly understood and protected by staff. Future evaluations should examine more specific justice-system outcomes and outcomes for individuals processed by particular CACs. The four sites funded and evaluated by the U.S. Justice Department’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention were two planning sites in Lee County, FL, and Denver County, CO, as well as two enhancement sites in Orange County, FL, and Jefferson County, CO. The evaluation focused on the following five components: context (all environmental forces in which a CAC operates); identification (techniques, procedures, and criteria used to identify, screen, assess, and refer juveniles to the CAC, along with other services or sanctions); intervention (the range of programs or reforms used to meet CAC objectives; linkages (formal and informal relationships and agreements that may hinder or help the establishment of a new CAC or modification of existing facilities); and goals (measurable CAC outcomes). 19 tables, 13 figures, and 53 references