NCJ Number
229116
Journal
International Journal of Police Science & Management Volume: 11 Issue: 4 Dated: Winter 2009 Pages: 393-413
Date Published
2009
Length
21 pages
Annotation
This article reports on the methodology and findings of an evaluation of the United Kingdom's Intensive Supervision and Surveillance Program (ISSP), which is a community-based sanction for serious and habitual juvenile offenders.
Abstract
The evaluation concluded that the ISSP has not achieved its anticipated outcomes. From the outset, there was no convincing evaluation evidence base that intensive supervision programs reduced reconvictions rates for juvenile offenders. The current evaluation reconfirmed previous evaluations of intensive supervision programs by showing that the ISSP did not reduce reoffending, ensure adequate surveillance for public protection, ensure rigorous enforcement of supervision conditions, or provide supervision sessions tailored to individual needs or offender age. In short, ISSP in practice did not provide unprecedented levels of surveillance so as to reduce the opportunity to reoffend. The evaluation advises that "the whole regime for dealing with such offenders needs a radical and urgent overhaul, and a review which focuses on the evidence of what does work or is likely to work, rather than on political expediency, is long overdue." The evaluation involved fieldwork (participant observation, interviews, and questionnaires) conducted within two Youth Offending Teams. It compared the views of supervisors and the supervised juvenile offenders. This article also reviews the international evidence base for the effectiveness of all types of intensive supervision programs, with attention to their effectiveness with juvenile offenders. 2 figures, 5 tables, 3 notes, and 74 references