NCJ Number
223140
Journal
Journal of Offender Rehabilitation Volume: 46 Issue: 3/4 Dated: 2008 Pages: 189-215
Date Published
2008
Length
27 pages
Annotation
This study determined the impact on recidivism over an 18-month period of Queensland's (Australia) Youth Justice Service (YJS), which aimed to work with young offenders to address their offending behavior and monitor their compliance with court orders.
Abstract
The study found that the YJS was not better than the traditional Area Office (AO) model in preventing recidivism, as measured over an 18-month period after intervention. The AO model includes the management of both child-protection and delinquency cases, which has tended to diminish the focus on the treatment/rehabilitative needs of juvenile offenders. Although this study was unable to distinguish the effect of specific intervention practices on recidivism, it provides reason to believe that recidivism is reduced when family problems are addressed by caseworkers. Future research should attempt to determine the key features of various intervention practices that are related to improved outcomes for juvenile offenders. In 1999, the Queensland government conducted pilot trials of the YJS, which fundamentally changed the way supervision, rehabilitation, and reintegration services were provided to juvenile offenders on community-based orders. Three AOs whose client bases and geographical locations were most closely matched to the YJS locations were selected as controls. Between June 1, 1999, to December 31, 2002, a total of 503 young males attended any of the 3 AO and 3 YJS locations. A final sample of 190 cases was selected for the study. 6 tables, 2 figures, and 36 references