NCJ Number
140763
Date Published
1989
Length
61 pages
Annotation
England's Department of Health and Social Security funded an Intermediate Treatment Initiative for juvenile offenders to develop more intensive intermediate treatment programs for young people who would otherwise go to borstal or detention centers, to promote an interagency approach to the problem of juvenile crime, and to allow local authorities sufficient time and opportunity to transfer resources from residential care to intermediate treatment facilities.
Abstract
A significant reduction in the use of custodial and care order disposals for juvenile offenders was observed in Initiative areas. All but a few Initiative projects established interagency management committees, and magistrates were often involved in these committees. Nationally, the Initiative greatly widened the availability of community-based services for young offenders. Overall, the Initiative was highly successful in its primary aim of reducing the level of custodial and care order disposals for juvenile offenders. It was also effective as a funding mechanism and as a means of stimulating interagency cooperation and partnerships between statutory agencies and the voluntary sector. Initiative projects are described, and case studies are presented. Appendixes contain supplemental information on the Initiative and its evaluation. 4 tables