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PROJECT PICTURE - EVALUATION REPORT NUMBER 1 - REPORT ON THE COMPARABILITY OF IDENTIFIED COMPARISON GROUPS FOR OUTCOME ASSESSMENT

NCJ Number
19842
Author(s)
D GRAY
Date Published
1975
Length
27 pages
Annotation
PROJECT PICTURE IS AN ATTEMPT TO PROVIDE COMMUNITY AND SERVICES FOR JUVENILES COMMITTED BY THE JUVENILE COURT TO OREGON'S CHILDREN'S SERVICES DIVISION CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTIONS DURING AND AFTER THEIR STAY.
Abstract
PROJECT PICTURE CLIENTS (220) ASSIGNED TO THE PROJECT IN SEPTEMBER, 1974, ARE COMPARED ON 22 BACKGROUND VARIABLES TO 96 CLIENTS IDENTIFIED AS A COMPARISON GROUP FROM THE PORTLAND OFFICE 'CONTROL' CASELOAD AND FROM CLIENTS IN EAST MULTNOMAH COUNTY SUPERVISED OUT OF THE SALEM OFFICE. THE TWO STUDY GROUPS WERE FOUND TO DIFFER SIGNIFICANTLY ON FOUR VARIABLES. THERE WERE ALSO A TENDENCY FOR MORE PICTURE CLIENTS TO HAVE A GREATER PROPORTION OF CLIENTS WITH CHARACTERISTICS WHICH ARE GENERALLY ASSOCIATED WITH OFFENSE BEHAVIOR ON ANOTHER SIX VARIABLES. THESE DIFFERENCES ARE SERIOUS ENOUGH TO WARRANT ABONDONMENT OF ANY ATTEMPT TO COMPARE THE TWO GROUPS AS COMPOSED IN THAT THE OUTCOME OFFENSE REDUCTION COULD BE PREDICTED TO BE MORE FAVORABLE FOR THE COMPARISON GROUP ON THE BASIS OF CLIENT CHARACTERISTICS ALONE. COMPARISONS WERE THEN MADE BETWEEN THE TWO STUDY GROUPS USING WHITE CLIENTS ONLY IN THAT THE GREATEST DISCREPANCY BETWEEN THE TWO GROUPS ORIGINALLY WAS IN ETHNIC COMPOSITION. COMPARISONS OF WHITE CLIENTS ONLY REVEAL NO STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE TWO GROUPS EITHER IN CLIENT CHARACTERISTICS OR OFFENSE BEHAVIOR. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT)